Asmara: Italy’s Modernist Highland Capital

Asmara sits 2,325 metres above sea level, very high.

Asmara is the capital and largest city of Eritrea.

The city lies atop an escarpment by the Eritrean Highlands.

Asmara features over 400 buildings built in Italian style.

Italian rule made Asmara known as Piccola Roma: Little Rome.

The Fiat Tagliero Building is a striking example of futurism.

Asmara had more traffic lights than Rome in the 1930s.

The Eritrean Railway connects Asmara to the coastal city Massawa.

Asmara became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2017.

Buildings combine Italian and local materials in construction.

Our Lady of the Rosary Church shows neo-Romanesque style here.

Asmara hosts the Eritrean National Museum and cycling competitions.

Asmara remains a rare, preserved city of early modernism.