Rifugio Lagazuoi above the clouds with Monte Pelmo in the background, Dolomites, Italy

© Nicolo Miana/eStock Phot

Sky-high skiing. Après-ski above the clouds

Today's homepage image features Rifugio Lagazuoi, a ski lodge located about 9,000ft above sea level on Italy's Mount Lagazuoi. Higher than most ski lodges in this area of the Dolomites, it offers some truly spectacular views. The ruggedly beautiful mountain landscapes, pristine natural environments and distinctive geologic formations all contributed to the Dolomites being recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2009.

While the area is accessible all year long, it's worth visiting during the ski season to check out the Great War Ski Tour, an open-air museum and where you can see World War One trenches and tunnels created by Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops as they fought each other on this precipitous terrain.