Malta: Historic, Exotic-and they speak English!
Written: Feb 26 '00 (Updated Feb 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: History, multi-cultural influence, ocean, English understood and spoken.
Cons: Congested, inconvenient to get to.
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| vickie's Full Review: Malta |
Many American travelers overlook this island nation which is located in the Mediterranean, between Sicily and the coast of North Africa. Malta, roughly the size of Martha's Vineyard and very densely populated, has two smaller sister islands, Gozo and Comino. Malta is largely deforested and the landscape is moderate contours and open valleys. Much of the architecture is made from local, honey colored limestone. Limestone walls outline fields and yards and the pinks, reds and whites of oleander bushes appear everywhere. Sunsets can provide spectacular lighting! Summer can be blisteringly hot (90 degrees F) and crowded with European tourists. Spring and fall are better times to visit. I spent a week here in late October and found the weather perfect; great for exploring yet warm enough to swim.
Malta has a romantic history. In prehistoric times, Malta was connected by land to Africa and in some locations you can see remnants of prehistoric creatures preserved in caves. There are also archeological remains of prehistoric temples, deities and villages. At various points in time, Malta has been occupied and controlled by Arabs as well as different European countries. The Order of St. John (with its crusading knights) ruled supreme here for nearly 270 years-hence the "Maltese Cross". They left towering fortifications, stately palazzos and noble baroque churches and cathedrals which are fascinating to visit! Just about every major player in European history has squabbled over this isolated, but valuable piece of real estate and left a mark in some corner. The only visitors who came in peace were St. Luke and St. Paul, who brought Christianity here.
The island of Malta can be divided into 6 distinct areas: the city of Valetta, the Northeast Coast, the Northern Coast, The Southwest Coast, the South (my personal favorite!) and Inland. Valetta was founded by Grand Master de la Valette, after his victory against the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565. The city was founded to be a Christian fortress able to withstand the forces of Islam and also to be a home for the European Order of the Knights of St. John. Valetta is the commercial center of Malta. It has a crowded, urban (and dirty) appearance and is the home to a tightly knit working-class community.
Valetta:
While there is much to see in Valetta, the appearance and congestion of the city make it really undesirable to spend a lot of time here. EVERYTHING here shuts down at night! The available nightlife is located in clubs and restaurants out in the villages. While there are too many historic sites worth seeing to list them here, I found the following to be in the "don't miss" category:
1) City Gate: known originally as the Gates of St. George, this is the entrance to the main city
2) Upper Barracca Gardens: these public gardens offer a panoramic view of Valetta and the Grand Harbour. It is the site of a 1775 revolt and has several historic structure and statues as well as lots of people and playful children to watch
3) St. John's Co-Cathedral and Museum: Many art treasure are housed here. Two quotes from famous people summarize my thoughts: "Magnificent church, the most striking interior I have ever seen" Sir Walter Scott, 1831. "Inside there is no single spot where the eye can rest for one moment that is not ablaze with decoration", Evelyn Waugh, 1930.
4) Lower Barracca Gardens and WWII Memorial: These gardens, like many of Valetta's open spaces, were cultivated by the French during the siege of 1798-1800. They provide a great view of the harbour.
5) Manoel Theatre: Built in 1731, this 650 seat auditorium is unlike modern theaters. It has an oval shape and an orchestra pit. The stalls seat 272 with the remainder of the audience seated above in three tiers of box seats. There is a resident orchestra and musicians such as Yehudi Menuthin and Vladimir Ashkenzy have played here. There are also dance and theatrical performances.
Museum of Archeology: This place is fascinating. The way to "do it" is to see the museum and then take excursions to any of the prehistoric sites in Malta and Gozo (the oldest free-standing monuments in the world). The headless "FAT" statues of the supposed deities found among ruins are located here (you can visit these ruins at Hagar Oim on the Southwest Coast). At this museum you can also see 3-dimensional models of archeological sites (such as the Skorba Temples on the Northeast Coast) which make visits to the sites much more valuable.
The Northeast Coast:
This part of the coast is the most built-up and touristy area of the island. There are two sizeable towns, Sliema and St. Julians, with more than a hundred places to stay. There is excellent shopping and nightlife, restaurants, bars and cafes. The Maltese language was not a written language until the 20th century, English and Italian were used for writing. As a result, everyone speaks English so going out is easy! This part of the island has huge yachting marinas. It is crowded (with Maltese and Europeans), can be raucous and has great people-watching!
Northern Coast:
There is intense prehistoric and religious history packed into this sector, along with coastline (and the associated hotels and timeshares!). There are Medieval coastal fortresses worth seeing as well as the Skorba Temples and Fomm ir-Rih, a barely accessible bay. The Skorba Temples are badly fragmented but their history is intact. There are believed to be the oldest free-standing structures in the world, dating back to the pre-Copper Age. It is best to visit here AFTER a trip to the Archeological Museum in Valetta, in order to understand what you are seeing. Fomm ir-Rih is a beautiful bay with clear, azure water, good snorkelling, picnicking and hiking.
Southwest Coast:
This area has a slow rhythm. It is too wild for much tourism and that is the charm. Of the sites, the cliffs at Dingli are most impressive. They stand 260m, the highest point on Malta. From these cliffs, the Mediterranean crashes below and the horizon provides mirages. It is easy to think you can actually see the Coast of Africa! A little over a mile away are the Buskett Gardens, some rare foliage on the island. There are orange and cypress trees, cacti, aromatic firs and the Judas tree (destined to foretell Easter with it's pink blossoms). Also in this area is the Blue Grotto, legendary home to the sirens-sea nymphs- who serenaded sailors to their destruction with their soft verses. Brightly painted boats, luzzus, provide trips (providing the sea is calm) frequently to see caves. Try to take one of these trips early in the morning, before long lines form! Your hotel can check the weather and schedules for you before you head out, avoiding time-consuming disappointment. Also worth seeing in this area is Hagar Oim (meaning stones of worship), megalithic structures of stone overlooking the sea. Here the "Fat dieties" are located and believed to be ancient symbols of fertility. There are several other interesting structures in Hagar Oim. Again, a trip to the Archeological Museum before your trip here will really increase your enjoyment. Mnajdra is also located in this area and has some of the most dramatic prehistoric monuments on the island.
South:
This is my favorite area of Malta and it is often forgotten. It has some of the oldest archaeological sites to be found anywhere in Europe-the Tarxien temples and the Hypogeum-as well as the interesting, prehistoric bone deposits in the cave of Ghar Dalam. The bones at Ghar Dalam are the deposits of long-extinct animals such as dwarf-elephants, bears and hippopotamuses, which date back approximately 180,000 years! The cave is 145 meters long and almost half of it is open so it is not at all claustrophobic.
There is reasonably good ocean swimming in the South, a fabulous little fishing village called Marsaxlokk and an area called Marascala with good restaurants. Marsaxlokk is a great "photo opp" with more than a hundred brightly painted luzzus of all sizes at anchor in the shallow village bay. There is a wonderful open-air fish market here every Sunday. You can see fresh (sometimes still moving!) examples of the local sea creatures including octopus, swordfish, sea bass, and other things I did not recognize! For my trip to Malta I stayed at the Jerma Palace Hotel on the tip of Il-Gzira Point. The hotel is surrounded by ocean on three sides and the views are breathtaking-every one of the 350 rooms have an ocean view of some sort. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, a mediocre restaurant (the hotel personnel guided me to some FABULOUS local restaurants) and I will return here if I have the chance. It is classified as "expensive" but my room in off-season (breakfast included) was $65US a night 4 years ago so I can't complain!
Inland:
Sites "not to miss" inland include Mdina, Malta's patrician old capital. It is literally in another age, a walled city more than 2,000 years old! It is one of the few remaining fortified medieval cities in the Mediterranean, yet it is fully inhabited and makes a wonderful afternoon excursion. Outside the city walls are Rabat, acres of catacombs and a Roman Villa, sites I also highly recommend.
This epinion is already WAY too long and I wonder if ANYBODY has read this far! However, in closing I must mention Gozo. Before leaving Malta, you should make a point to take the ferry trip to the island of Gozo for a day. This community is primarily agricultural and slow-paced, but its' peaceful villages are picture postcards with the back-drop of the Mediterranean. There are a handful of good restaurants, some pretty handmade lace you can buy and one of the finest hotels on the Maltese islands. Personally, it is a little too slow on Gozo for me to consider staying here overnight!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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