Asmara is a city of Eritrea, a country of the Africa. It is the capital of Eritea. About five hundred thousand people live in Asmara. The architecture of Asmara was influenced by the Italian colonization. The town of Asmara was colonized by the Italians. It was colonized in 1889. The town of Asmara became the national capital of the colony in 1897. In 1913 and then later in 1915, Asmara suffered knew some damages because of earthquakes. That is one of the reason why in the 1930’s, the Italians modified the architecture of the city. They built new buildings. Most of the actual center of the town was built by the Italians. The city looked like Roma. Asmara was called "Piccola Roma" (the little Roma). Nowadays, most of the buildings of Asmara have an italian origin. Some shops are still named in Italian. The three main architectural styles you will find in Asmara are the art deco style, the Victorian style and the Italian new roman style. The Impero Cinema is a famous art deco building of Asmara. As famous as well, there is the Pension Africa, a cubist building. The Europeans at that time used to say that Asmara was a place to experiment “new radical designs”. Some buildings are neo-Romanesque, such as the Roman Catholic Cathedral, some villas are built in a late Victorian style. Art Deco influences are found throughout the city. Architects were restricted by nothing. There are a lot of religious sites in the town of Asmara. Such as the catholic cathedral, the eclectic cathedral, mosquees, and the copte Nda Mariam cathedral which is one of the most impressive buildings of Asmara. Colored wall pictures done by contemporary artists can be seen in different parts of the town. The town also has traditional markets. It has little shops. The inhabitants are reputed warm and open people. © Eric Lafforgue www.ericlafforgue.com