The chilly mist covering the Andes mountains melts away as the early morning light casts shadows over the church domes and terracotta roofs of La Candelaria. At the top of a hilly street local residents get ready for another day. A storekeeper opens the shutters of his corner shop while an elderly woman wrapped in a shawl sweeps the pavement. It feels like a remote Andean hilltop village but just a short walk away from this colonial quarter lies the bustling centre of Bogotá, the Colombian capital and seat of government.

Founded in the 16th century, La Candelaria was the original settlement around which Bogotá grew into the cosmopolitan city of 8m people that it is today. Over the centuries it has been a cultural hub and a centre of learning, with numerous universities giving it a bohemian atmosphere popular with poets, artists and fringe theatre groups. Yet for many years the area has been shunned by affluent Bogotanos, its colonial gems left to languish because of its reputation as a dangerous place.