You leave Vienna for Venice and replace the cobblestones with mountains. Grass carpets the lush hills and meanders upwards to the rugged foothills. You traverse Semmering Pass, at an altitude of 3,166 feet, taking you through the natural border between Austria and Italy. The evergreen aroma fills the air. Mountain peaks trundle past. The steep slopes flatten, the rivers turn to canals, and you arrive at the opulent city on a lagoon, Venice. The marble paving St. Mark’s Square glints in the waning light. The Byzantine domes atop the basilica act like a beacon bringing you to the treasures of the city’s past and present beauty.