Italian Docks

Grimy waterfront along Italy's coast, where young Thomas Cromwell landed after fleeing home. Ships creak against piers amid shouts of laborers unloading crates of spices and cloth. Cromwell mastered the three-card trick here, spotting marks among sailors and travelers, and bet on snakes slithering through the crowds. Salt air mixes with fish stench and tar smoke; the rough energy forged his instincts for deception and survival, skills he now deploys in England's royal intrigues.