Waking up in the Alps and going to sleep over a canal in Venice, that was how the Italian segment of the trip began. Venice was everything I was expecting, magnificent and awe-inspiring. The canals of Venice gave way to the intellectual feel of Bologna with its university and anarchists. Florence felt like the seat of the Renaissance and the Cinque Terre felt like the coast of Italy. The wonders of Italy ended with a slow ferry from Genova to Barcelona and the Italian cactus gave way to the palm trees of Spain.