Hello dearest friend and welcome to the seventh chapter of the ”Travel Diaries”!
A little over a month ago, I visited Malta with a popular travel agency. It was a much needed holiday after a busy summer in a new working environment.
Malta is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago 80 km south of Italy, 284 km east of Tunisia and 333 km north of Libya.
Malta has been inhabited since about 5900 BC. Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great geostrategic importance, with a succession of powers having ruled the islands and shaped its culture and society. These include the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans in antiquity, the Arabs, Normans and Aragonese during the Middle Ages and the Knights Hospitaller, French, and British in the modern era.
Malta came under British rule in the early 19th century and served as the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet. It was besieged by the Axis powers during World War II and was an important Allied base for North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Malta achieved independence in 1964 and established its current parliamentary republic in 1974. It has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations since independence; it joined the European Union in 2004 and the eurozone monetary union in 2008.
Now that we have covered some basic information about the geographical location and historical background of Rhodes let’s dive into the places I visited while I was there…
Valletta
Valletta is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life.
Valletta’s 16th-century buildings were constructed by the Knights Hospitaller. The city was named after the Frenchman Jean Parisot de Valette, who succeeded in defending the island against an Ottoman invasion during the Great Siege of Malta. The city is Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture, though the Second World War left major scars on the city, particularly the destruction of the Royal Opera House.
Valletta‘s musts include:
- Renzo Piano‘s Pjazza Teatru Rjal on the ruins of the Royal Opera House.
- A walk through the Upper & Lower Barrakka Gardens.
Lower Barrakka Gardens
Upper Barrakka Gardens
- A cup of coffee accompanied by a delicious pastizzi at Caffe Cordina.
Caffe Cordina
- Saint John’s Co-Cathedral with the famous painting ”The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” by Caravaggio
Saint John’s Co-Cathedral
- Grandmaster’s Palace, which served as the official residence of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798.
Grandmaster’s Palace
Gozo
Gozo is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is rural in character and less developed than the island of Malta. It is rich in historic locations such as the Ġgantija temples, which, along with the other Megalithic Temples of Malta, are amongst the world’s oldest free-standing structuresGozo is known for its scenic hills, which are featured on its coat of arms.
Gozo‘s musts include:
- Ġgantija, a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic era (c. 3600–2500 BC) that is older than the pyramids of Egypt.
Ġgantija
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu, a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located some 700 metres from the village of Għarb.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu
- A walk through the Cittadella, the medieval acropolis of Gozo’s capital Rabat.
Cittadella
- A traditional Maltese lunch in Ta’ Rikardu restaurant, housed in a beautiful historic building inside the Cittadella.
Ta’ Rikardu
Mdina
Mdina also known by its Italian epithets Città Vecchia (“Old City”) and Città Notabile (“Notable City”), is a fortified city in the Northern Region of Malta which served as the island’s former capital, from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of 250.
Mdina‘s musts include:
- St. Paul’s Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle. The cathedral was founded in the 12th century and according to tradition it stands on the site where Roman governor Publius met St. Paul following his shipwreck on Malta.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
- Vilhena Palace, a French Baroque palace. It is named after António Manoel de Vilhena, the Grand Master who commissioned it. It was built between 1726 and 1728 to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion, on the site of the meeting place of the Università. Since 1973, it has been open to the public as Malta’s National Museum of Natural History.
Vilhena Palace
- A cozy afternoon tea at the picturesque Fontanella Tea Garden.
Fontanella Tea Garden
- A delicious meal along with a refreshing apperitif at Coogi’s Pizzeria & Bistrot.
Coogi’s Pizzeria & Bistrot
Other things to do in Malta
- A visit to St. Paul’s Catacombs in the town of Rabat.
St. Paul’s Catacombs
- Discover Popeye‘s iconic village near the town of Mellieha that was built for the 1980 musical ”Popeye”
Popeye’s Village
- A visit to the Rotunda of Mosta, a large basilica built by its parishioners’ volunteer labour. It features the world’s 3rd largest unsupported dome, and displays a replica of a German bombshell that famously crashed through the dome but did not detonate upon impact.
Rotunda of Mosta
- Enjoy a fresh pastizzi at the Crystal Palace in Triq San Pawl in Rabat.
Crystal Palace
Malta is the ideal destination for a quick European retreat and generously provides many oppprtunities for activities that appeal to its vistitors’ versatile interests.
