Martoni's Pilgrimage : To the centre of the world and back

An ordinary man. An extraordinary journey.In 1394 Nicola Martoni made a dangerous journey from a small town in Italy to Jerusalem.He was a little, short-sighted, middle-aged provincial lawyer.He sailed through Aegean storms to Egypt, walked across the desert in high summer, climbed Mount Sinai with malaria, and finally made it to the Holy Places.

Five companions died on the way.Desperate to get home and running out of money, he wandered from island to island and across mainland Greece, braving more storms, shipwreck, pirates, mercenaries and brigands, sustained by curiosity, determination and faith in God.It was an age of marvels and miracles, before printing and the intellectual and scientific revolutions that shape our world.

His journal translated from Latin, gives us a rare insight into a medieval mind.Join him on his journey.