By Oliver Robinson, for CNN\u00a020 July, 2013<\/p>\n
What sets Ethiopia apart from its African neighbors?<\/p>\n
The excellent coffee?<\/p>\n
The fact that it was never colonized?<\/p>\n
Or that Rastafarians regard it as their spiritual home?<\/p>\n
Or could it be the smooth, well-maintained roads, so rare on the continent, that make exploring the country by car such a joy?<\/p>\n
After a 1,430-kilometer drive through Ethiopia’s Northern Circuit — up mountains, through Martian-like landscapes, into lost kingdoms of yore — we found 10 crucial things that define the country.<\/p>\n
The buzzing bedlam of Mahatma Gandhi Street in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia\u2019s capital, is the setting for Castelli\u2019s — arguably the best Italian restaurant this side of Bologna.<\/p>\n
An Italian soldier, Francesco Castelli, founded the modest-looking eatery at the end of WWII. Since then it’s gained a global profile thanks to endorsement from celebrity diners such as Bob Geldof, Bono and Brad and Angelina.<\/p>\n
But, high-profile praise aside, it\u2019s the food that makes Castelli\u2019s worth a visit before setting off from Addis into the Ethiopian wilds.<\/p>\n
Ristorante Castelli, Mahatma Gandhi Street, Addis Ababa; +251 1 563 580, +251 1 571 757<\/em><\/p>\n Like great Italian food, coffee is one of the legacies of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia during WWII.<\/p>\n While Mussolini\u2019s men proved inept colonists (the Allies defeated them in 1943), their tenure in the country did at least ensure that an Italian-style espresso machine was installed in most cafes, restaurants and — weary travelers will be pleased to know — even dilapidated roadside shacks.<\/p>\n Ethiopians love their coffee and take pride in the fact that the plant\u2019s invigorating effects were first discovered in the Oromia region of the country (see the 2006 documentary\u00a0Black Gold<\/a>).<\/p>\n Made in China. Actually made by China. The country is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Ethiopia’s infrastructure.Aside from coffee and pasta, Ethiopia excels in roads.<\/p>\n Other African nations have roads — it\u2019s just that few are a patch with those in Ethiopia.<\/p>\n The quality tarmac comes courtesy of huge Chinese investment — in 2009, it was estimated that China had poured $900 million into Ethiopia\u2019s infrastructure, a figure that’s since increased exponentially.<\/p>\n Anyone who’s driven into Ethiopia from Kenya, via the perilous Marsabit route (fraught with bumps, brigands and bandits) will attest what a difference a nice road makes.<\/p>\n Ethiopia\u2019s incredible mountain-top highway vistas don\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n Zanzibar: A very cultural beach holiday<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Swords into ploughshares … or tanks into unusual climbing frames for kids, in the case of Ethiopia.Don’t worry: unless you get horribly lost and venture into Somalia, the tanks you’ll see along the roadside are burned-out remnants of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1998-2000).<\/p>\n2. Italian-style coffee
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n3. Chinese roads
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n4. Tanks … lots of them
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