You Have to WANT to Visit Eritrea. Or You Could Just Buy the Book.

This site is all about unusual travel, and taking pictures once you're there. Jeffrey Gettleman, writing in the IHT, has a story about Asmara, capital of independent-only-since-1993 Eritrea. Most recently, Eritrea declared its independence from Ethiopia, but it had been an Italian colony since the 19th century, and la dolce vita under the Italians is the focus of Gettleman's story.

The "taking pictures once you're there" part is covered nicely by the coffee table book Asmara, Africa's Secret Modernist City, pictured, by Edward Denison, Guang Yu Ren and Naigzy Gebremedhin.

Asmara's one of those places you have to work a little bit to visit. For example, click on the Asmara Airport Eritrea website. When you click British Airways, Emirates or Lufthansa, the helpful words appear, "This domain has been blocked." Mostly, outside of its region, it's served via Cairo and Egyptair.