Joanna Lumley begins her epic Silk Road adventure, travelling thousands of miles across eight countries, beginning her journey in Venice, Italy
Joanna Lumley travels the Silk Road from Europe to China.
Get ready for another trek across the globe with the lovely Ms Lumley!
Her four-part journey, taking in the diverse countries along the legendary road once used by silk traders, starts in Venice, Italy, where she looks at the impact the silk trade has had on the city since 13th-century explorer Marco Polo brought silk there from China.
She then travels through Albania before heading to Turkey where she gets an insight into the varied local culture by making cheese and spending time with a sprawling family of goat and sheep herders.
Joanna’s utter delight at every new experience and her genuine warmth for everyone she meets is as captivating as ever.
'To study those countries in Central Asia – all the "Stans", like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – was a dream, because my grandfather was a diplomat, so he was always travelling in that area,' Joanna says of her adventure.
'The Silk Road has changed our lives, but there isn’t a single road – it’s a network of connections and, as well as silk, they’d trade everything from gunpowder and gold to ginger and glass,' she enthuses. 'I was bewitched by the whole thing.'
TV Times rating: *****
