Cadini di Misurina, Dolomites, Veneto, Italy

A reef above its station. Cadini di Misurina, Dolomites, Veneto, Italy

The image captures the jagged skyline of Cadini di Misurina at sunrise in Veneto, northeastern Italy. Visitors heading toward nearby Tre Cime di Lavaredo often come for the famous route only to find their attention hijacked by the Cadini. Part of the Dolomites, these needle-like peaks reaching more than 9,300 feet at their highest point seem sculpted for drama. The twist? They started out as ancient coral reefs.

Around 250 million years ago, this region lay beneath a warm tropical sea. As the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, the seabed was thrust thousands of feet into the sky, preserving shells and other marine fossils in cliffs now explored by hikers instead of fish.

At sunrise and sunset, the Dolomites glow pink and orange in the Alpine phenomenon known as 'enrosadira,' making these former reefs appear almost lit from within. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site preserves one of geology's most improbable stories. From coral reef to mountain skyline, few places have traveled farther.