Leif, Natalie, Cori, and I set out to walk through the open-air museum at Cinque Torri, but found ourselves side-tracked by the natural world and its doorways calling us through. While we made it to the museum eventually, I was much more enthralled by the surrounding terrain and how the soldiers could have possibly been fighting a war where we were having such a spiritual and serene experience.

Our initial summit and path was set on the museum.

But after a little bit of wandering we found this rock, alone, set against the mountains.

We met three other travelers who felt the same way.

Even on the way back we were caught by this place’s immensity.

These soldiers must have suffered through the winter, and their ghost coexists with our souls.

Scaling this terrain felt like moving across bones and the ancient fallen of the region.

Their presence is forever felt along with these gorgeous sights, and I’m lucky that I can pretend.