Marco Polo sets out from Italy in 1271 at the age of 17 with his father and uncle, both traders, on a journey across Asia, among the first Europeans to make such a trip. For 24 years, the Polos follow ancient trade routes through Persia, China, Indonesia, and India. Marco Polo's written account of his travels, Il Milione, becomes popular throughout Europe and stimulates interest in trade with the East, introducing Westerners to such things as ivory, jade, porcelain, coal, paper money, the compass, and silk.