Georgian capital Tbilisi a fascinating mix of new and old

When your national dish is a calorie-laden cross between a cheese pie and a flatbread pizza, you need plenty of exercise. Fortunately for the wiry inhabitants of Tbilisi's Old Town, the narrow streets are calf-achingly steep.

You're never far from a khachapuri vendor in the Georgian capital. I find myself returning to the same scruffy kiosk in the historic quarter where the queues are long and the savoury snacks come straight from the oven. Prices are low, although that may be about to change.

The neighbourhood is undergoing gentrification and hand-painted "for sale" signs in English suggest foreign money is helping to bankroll the makeover. It's never gratifying to see locals selling property that has been in the family for decades, if not centuries. Here though, the crumbling facades are in desperate need of attention before it's too late.

As the regeneration gathers pace, boutique hotels, restaurants, galleries and, of course, Irish pubs have begun to appear. The wholesale airbrushing of the working class district has its detractors, but you don't have to walk far beyond the stylish cafes filled with tourists and young professionals to see the alternative.

Paint peels back to the brickwork of distressed art nouveau-style buildings and lopsided balconies sag precariously. Many homes look abandoned, until a shadowy face peers out of a grubby window. The sense of poverty is tangible, with houses noticeably more dilapidated the further up the hillside you go. It's like Hong Kong Island in reverse.

On Tbilisi's equivalent of The Peak, women chat as they peg out threadbare laundry. I duck under billowing sheets to reach a vantage point with impressive views of Narikala Fortress, the Mtkvari River and the distant skyline. The city is weaving its spell and I'd like to stay longer but after pounding the hilly streets for three days, it's time to take things to a higher level.