Η ιστορική πόλη της Βαλέτα

Malta does not get as much attention as its neighbours such as Sicily and Tunisia. Perhaps this is due to its size: Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world.

I was expecting long sandy beaches, but most of Malta is made up of cliffs with some sandy stretches at Mellieha, on the island’s northeast coast.

It wasn’t until I got to my hotel in the country’s capital, Valletta, that I got a sense of what the island is really about: 7,000 years of history and cultural heritage left by numerous conquerors, including the Phoenicians, Moors, Normans, Knights of St. John, Napoleonic Empire and, most recently, the British.
Malta speaks volumes through its architecture and its artefacts
Malta speaks volumes through its architecture and its artefacts

The joy of Malta is that it speaks volumes through its architecture and its artefacts. To get oriented with history and heritage of Malta and Valletta, I visited two very well put together experiences: the Malta Experience, a 45 minute film that helped put everything I was about to see in context and the National Museum of Archaeology.

At the latter, the Great Story of a small Island-Nation through 100 Objects revealed a Greek theatrical mask and an Islamic book showing cultural influences from various invaders, simple peasant clothing from Gozo that the locals wore while the main island of Malta was going through a cultural revolution and a she-wolf statue feeding the twin Romanesque characters of Romulus and Remus.
National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
National Museum of Archaeology, Malta

At the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, a magnificent Baroque church, the austere exterior is in sharp contrast with a highly ornate interior. This is decorated with 24-carat gold leaf and a multitude of paintings, stucco and sculptures. Beneath the marble flooring are the tombs of 370 knights and officers. One of the highlights of the visit (well, at least for me, as I studied art history) is seeing Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Admission: €6.
St John’s Co-Cathedral, Malta
St John’s Co-Cathedral, Malta

I got to the Upper Barracca Gardens at noon to see the Saluting Battery, with uniformed soldiers firing gun salutes. It was an explosive experience and however much I thought I was prepared for the noise and vibration of the guns, I was still surprised when they fired.