I'm new to opinion writing so, in line with the advice, I've had a look at some others. I picked my home town as I thought that I would be able to determine the level of objectivity applied. When I didn't recognise the city described by some other contributors I decided to put fingers to keys and try to write something in the spirit of Ciao.

A little bit of history to set the scene:
Coventry was awarded its Royal Charter in 1345, some 544 years before Birmingham gained City status. It's no wonder we are now a little jealous of our big brother just up the road!
In the 1920's Coventry was voted one of Europe's best preserved mediaeval cities, ahead of Prague and Vienna.
In 1938 Coventry was the fastest growing city in the UK.
Then, in one night in November 1940, we had 500 tons of high explosives and 40,000 incendiary bombs dumped on us. Fifty six percent of the city's houses were damaged or destroyed, 180 of 300 factories were put out of action, and a new verb was coined "to Coventrate" meaning to raze an entire city to the ground.
The immediate post war reaction was to use the flattened city centre to showcase architect Donald Gibson's plan of a pedestrianised shopping centre incorporating green spaces, fountains, murals, and a vista of the Holy Trinity and St Michael's (Old Cathedral) spires. If only he'd been left alone to get on with it.
Regardless of the fact that he wasn't allowed to complete his design the Precinct became a model for other cities around the world to follow.
Built during the late forties and early fifties it's no wonder it's looking a little tired.
Some later planning blunders, in my view, have led to the clean lines of the original plan being ruined with the glass cased escalator and the hateful Cathedral Lanes development.

Almost everyone planning to visit the city knows about the two cathedrals but how many know we have three ? In addition to the two St Michaels there is also St Mary's. OK it's been knocked about a bit and buried for 600 years but some 15,000 pieces of worked stone have been excavated from the site. Enough to make a decent exhibition, and allow the archaeologists to reconstruct the building as a computer model. You may remember seeing some of the excavation as a Time Team program. Major items are currently on show at the Priory Place visitor centre just two minutes walk from the new cathedral.

At the end of Bayley Lane you're faced with a choice, turn right for Browns restaurant/bar, already much mentioned in other ops but gets a thumbs up from me as well, or left for the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, a shamefully under visited resource in the city. I've been to some exhibitions at the weekend where the security guards are desperate to talk as they've seen so few people. Left of the entrance to the museum is the balance of Coventry University campus, including a new eco-friendly energy neutral library, partly fashioned from one of the city's oldest car engine factories. You can't go in a see it though unless you've got a readers ticket.

West Orchards is another shopping mall like those now found in any city. The lower precinct development is nice because it's new and clean. It also houses the only English Heritage listed burger bar. No really! the "round caff" as it was known locally is deemmed to be of significant architectural merit.

The ring road is much derided and can be daunting to navigate for visitors. I think if you bear in mind that it really is a ring, and only about two miles round, then if you miss your exit you can just stay on it until you get back to the same point. Stories of visitors endlessly circling are much exaggerated, I think!

This new development will incorporate the frontage of The Museum of British Road Transport, which owing to the city's long history with cycle and motor manufacturing really is worth a look. Again admission is free.

Other ops have mentioned it but it's worth repeating that drinking on the street is illegal in Coventry and people do get nicked! Even at a pavement cafe you can only drink if the area is fenced off and you are seated. Seems draconian but was one of the initiatives to counter the street corner boozing mentality mentioned in another op. CCTV coverage in the city centre is almost universal now and I know it makes my female friends feel safer. In common with many major cities there is often trouble at chucking out time at the weekend but the police have stepped up their night time presence over the last few months and, to my mind, the rate of reported instances is definitely falling.