They can be visibly seen from Northern Italy, as far as Venice in the northwest, and Mantua (aka Mantova) in the central north. Their towering, prominent, and unusually shaped, massive, jagged peaks are both picturesque and mysterious, dominating the skyline.

They are the Dolomites, and this UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of limestone, forms part of the dramatic mountain range known as the Italian Alps that borders both Italy and Austria.