Elderly gentlemen wearing double-breasted suits and Borsalino hats chatter over strong macchiatos extracted from a vintage, chrome espresso machine while a group of statuesque beauties wearing the latest European fashions struts by. Southern Italy? No. A set for a Fellini movie? No. It’s actually a bustling pavement terrace on Harnet Avenue, Asmara’s main thoroughfare, at 6pm – passegiatta time.

Asmara is everything you wouldn’t think of an African capital: hassle-free, orderly, well-mannered, seductive, unthreatening. And hedonistic. This sheer incongruity is a legacy of the Italian era, when Eritrea was the pride of the colonial empire and Asmara its diamond tiara. In the 1920s and 1930s, a new and daring architectural movement called ‘rationalism’ sprang up in Italy, and Eritrea became an architectural laboratory. Dreaming of creating a new Roman Empire, Mussolini let architects go wild with their creativity in Asmara, earmarking it as a showcase city for the fascist regime. Nicknamed ‘Piccolo Roma’, the city starred as belle of the ball on the continent, exhibiting a phenomenal melange of modernist, cubist, futurist, expressionist, functionalist, neoclassical and Art Deco styles. Around five hundred edifices – flamboyant cinemas, hotels, city halls, mosques, churches, villas, government offices, corporate buildings, a swimming pool and even a bowling alley – were constructed in less than ten years.

Despite Eritrea’s wars of liberation, Asmara’s architecture has changed miraculously little since Mussolini’s days. Today it remains an utterly adorable model Art Deco town. There’s no need to be a connoisseur to savour its treasure trove of architectural gems, it all just stands out. Take, for example, Cinema Impero, which sits smack dab on Harnet Avenue. Its Art Deco façade sports 45 porthole lamps, each looking like giant radio knobs; this iconic building never fails to overwhelm. In the lobby, all the marble, chrome and glass features are original. Cinema Odeon and Cinema Roma are also sure to leave you breathless. The exterior of the latter features a magnificent marble-fronted façade, while the cafeteria in the lobby area is a soothing place, enhanced with dark wood fixtures and an impressive old projection camera. The same retro feel is perceptible at Cinema Odeon, with an authentic Art Deco interior.

But the most charismatic edifice is undisputedly the Fiat Tagliero building. One of the world’s supreme examples of futurism, it resembles an aeroplane, with two vast concrete wings jutting out from the central ‘fuselage’. Guess what? It’s a petrol station! Never has one looked so sassy.

Another two of Italy’s gifts to Asmara are the lively cafe culture and bar life. For soul and character, Crispi Bar, with its earth-toned 1930s décor and rounded chrome bar, is hard to beat. Also high on personality, Bar Aquila is straight out of a Fellini film, with its vintage billiardo (billiard table), faded football posters, Art Deco bar and old Campari advertisements. The terrace at Bar Impero, next to the eponymous cinema, is a strategic place to watch the world go by. Or you could try Tre Stelle, a cute den famous for its head-clearing macchiatos. Don’t be surprised if elderly regulars greet you with a “buon giorno”. There’s something delightfully timeless about sampling an espresso or a devilish Asmara gin in one of these places.

Joy of joys, Asmara is still small enough to navigate around on foot. Safely. It must be the safest city in Africa. And one that’s blessed with the most agreeable climate. Set on the East African escarpment at 2300m above sea level, it boasts balmy temperatures and cloudless blue skies eight months a year.

Tantalising pastry shops, ice-cream parlours and pizzerias beckon the peckish. Yes, pizzas. Who would guess that Pizza Napoli, on Adi Hawesha Street, serves up possibly the tastiest pizza this side of Naples?

For all the city’s visual harmony and congenial atmosphere, you don’t need to be in Asmara for long to realise that the dolce vita has given way to harsher realities. The hard line followed by the nationalist government, diplomatic isolation and the clampdown on civil liberties have severely impacted on standards of living. Power cuts, waiting queues in front of state-controlled stores, slack business and near-deserted streets at night are now a common sight. Asmarinos stoically suffer in silence. One day, they say, their diamond of a city will shine again. And, one day, its unrivalled urban heritage will become a UNESCO World Heritage site, which will attract droves of visitors eager to feel the time-warp sensation in this once-flamboyant city. Meanwhile, Asmarinos remain incorrigible bons viveurs; even when there is so little money. Nothing can detract them from the daily ritual of a caffeine fix at a pavement terrace during the evening passegiatta. Pure hedonistic routine.