A journey to discover an area with a surprising diversity of environments, cultures and traditions. It’s an itinerary that winds its way through elegant towns that seem to have been crystallised in the last century, daring ascents and descents, enchanting panoramas, valleys dotted with majestic sycamores and fiery coastal plains, until it reaches the white deserted beaches of the Dahlak Archipelago, an unspoilt natural paradise of colourful coral reefs and vibrant underwater fauna. We will visit places full of reminiscences of a past that concerns us closely and of which a considerable imprint remains today in the urban and social fabric of the country. The capital, Asmara ‘Little Rome’, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to the extraordinary mixture of architectural styles that embellish its public and private buildings. The fascinating Massawa, with its Arab-Moorish imprint, which has paid a high tribute to the ferocity of war but in the past was one of the Red Sea’s most important commercial hubs. And cosmopolitan Keren, with its kaleidoscopic weekly markets attracting people from all over the plateau. The villages of the Bilen people, with their characteristic houses made of clay, straw and rough stone, and the camps of the Rashaida, semi-nomadic farmers of Arab origin, who will welcome us under their heavy tents, before setting sail for the islands.