My first encounter with Italy's famous "three peaks" - the Tre Cime di Lavaredo - was in a traffic circle. In the picturesque town of Dobbiaco/Toblach, three small painted sculptures in the center of the roundabout marked the gateway to one of the most iconic views in the Italian Alps.

At a nearby cafe, my partner's chocolate schnitzel came with a powdered sugar cutout of the peaks, akin to an Eiffel Tower-themed dessert near Paris. "It's the Cime!" I exclaimed. We were on our way.