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A smoking volcano in Greenland signals journey's end for this quest to uncover traces of the fabled voyages of two 14th century Venetian merchants. Read by Sam Dale.

By Andrea di Robilant.

Read by Sam Dale.

In the fourteenth century, so the story goes, two merchant brothers set out from Venice on a journey through the rough seas of the North Atlantic, encountering warrior princes and fighting savage natives on distant shores.

Their adventures - printed as a small book and beautifully detailed map in 1558 by an enthusiastic ancestor - were celebrated throughout Europe until, in 1835, the story was denounced as a 'tissue of lies' and the Zens faded into oblivion.

Intrigued by the myth, the writer Andrea di Robilant set out to discover what traces remain of these fabled voyages. In this final episode, the quest reaches its furthest point north on the slopes of a smoking volcano in Greenland.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.

15 minutes

Last on

Sat 2 Apr 2011 00:30

Broadcasts

  • Fri 1 Apr 2011 09:45
  • Sat 2 Apr 2011 00:30

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