The walls around Nicosia old town are shaped like a perfect circle with eleven pointed star-shaped sections sticking out, called bastions. They were designed in the 1500s by Venetian engineers who were very clever at building fortifications. Today the old moat - the ditch that used to run around the outside - has been turned into gardens and a cycle path.
Inside the walls, narrow cobbled streets lead you past workshops where craftspeople still make traditional goods: leather bags, silver jewellery, painted pottery. Some streets suddenly open into small squares shaded by big trees, with elderly men playing backgammon and the smell of fresh coffee drifting from a nearby café.
Nicosia old town has layers of history visible everywhere. Ancient columns are built into later walls; a Venetian column stands in the town square; and the Great Mosque - once a medieval cathedral - stands as evidence of the many civilisations that have made this city their home. Walking through the streets is like reading a very long history book.