Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Lago Antorno, golden autumn light, Dolomites, Italy

Triplet peaks

If you're headed to Italy, you're probably eager to feast your eyes on old masters' paintings between plates of pasta. But should you wander off the beaten path and trade gourmet grub for trail mix, you'll marvel at masterpieces even more ancient. Here in the Dolomites, an Italian subrange of the Alps, the rugged landscape is a match for any found in Austria or Switzerland.If mountains are nature's masterpieces, the one up ahead is a triptych. Though appearing like a single mountain from this viewpoint on the shores of Lake Antorno, the Three Peaks of Lavaredo are actually a majestic trio, popular with photographers from any angle.