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This is the Gondoschlucht (Gondo Gorge) on the final part of the Simplon Pass leading from Switzerland into Italy.
The ancient building beneath the cliff is known as 'The Old Barracks' and was built around 1805 by Napoleon's workers when they constructed the original Simplon pass. It was opened to the public in 2000 as an 'Eco Museum' and now contains an exhibition of the history of the Simplon Pass from Roman times to the present, with many interesting photographs.
Also in October of the same year, the border village of Gondo just along the road from here was struck by a massive landslide, which destroyed many houses. The Google satellite view also shows another landslide 1km to the west, completely blocking the Simplon Pass. The depth of shadow on the Google satellite image indicates just how steep and deep the valley sides are.
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