Eritrea

It was once heralded as a good place for travelling and, with a bit of luck, it could soon be so again. But as long as the country is at odds with its neighbour Ethiopia, its sworn enemy, tourism development won’t be a priority. One of the most secretive countries in Africa, Eritrea seems doomed to remain a hidden gem. Unsurprisingly, it falls below many travellers’ radars.Asmara. Arrive here on a clear day, and you’ll fall in love with this diamond of a capital. Peaceful neighborhoods’, pavement cafés with vintage Italian coffee machines, cheery pizza parlours, tantalising pastry shops, a relaxed pace of life… You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a southern Italian town. And there’s the fabulous architecture, with a melee of architectural wonders from the Italian era. The balmy climate is another draw: Asmara is bathed in sunshine eight months of the year.Alas, it’s too good to be true. The battered economy and the clampdown on civil liberties have taken their toll over past years, and it shows....