Asmara is one of Africa's most surprising capitals. Perched at 2,350 metres on the Eritrean plateau, it is cooler and more pleasant than the sweltering coast at Massawa, and its streets are lined with some of the finest Italian colonial architecture anywhere in the world. The city earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017 as a modernist African city.
The character is a striking mix: Art Deco cinemas like the Cinema Impero sit a few blocks from the Coptic Enda Mariam Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral faces the Great Mosque, and Fiat Cinquecento taxis rattle past palm-shaded boulevards. Liberation Avenue is the heart of city life, where residents stroll in the early evening, stopping for macchiatos and pastries at the many small cafes. The espresso here is genuinely excellent, a lasting legacy of Italy's colonial presence.
Beyond the architecture, the sprawling central market north of the Cathedral is worth a long visit. Stalls of spices, vegetables, ceramics, and handwoven textiles crowd together alongside small workshops. The gold and silver jewellers occupy the streets between the main mosque and the government buildings. For something stranger, the Medeber recycling market east of the centre turns scrap metal into kitchenware, and the Fiat Tagliero — a 1938 filling station shaped like an aeroplane — sits just to the west.