Messner Mountain Museum in the Clouds on Monte Rite, Italy

© Alberto Simonetti/Getty Images

Messner Mountain Museum in the Clouds on Monte Rite, Italy

The Museum in the Clouds is one of the six Messner Mountain Museums in Italy. Built on a World War I-era fort, the collection here focuses on the early history of climbers ascending the peaks of the Dolomite mountain range. Reinhold Messner, the still-active climber for whom these museums are named, favours the alpine style of mountaineering—using as little gear and as little assistance as possible.