At the end of the previous leg we had turned a couple corners to find ourselves above Nefasit. Mt. Bizan loomed 2,700 feet (825 meters) above the village. Its ridge stretched to the north east forming the wall of the Nefasit valley. Barely visible in a gap between the boulders at the top, orange and brown blotches identified the roofs and walls of the buildings of Debra Bizan monastery.
After stopping to take in the surroundings, we headed down the mountain negotiating nine switchbacks as we headed for Nefasit in the valley. Dirt paths led off the end of three switchbacks to broken down cement bunkers. We stopped at one. Giant bolts in the floor and reenforced cement walls and roofs told me the Italians surely used these rooms for gun emplacements to protect this strategic pass during the war. ...
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