A Week in Malta--Beautiful Water, Lots of History, Great Food
- Candace Ahlfinger
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Our first impressions as we flew into the small, five-island Maltese archipelago were of the dramatic cliffs overlooking turquoise blue waters made to seem bluer because of the sand-colored ancient walled cities which encompass towering churches and towers.
Once we landed it was very easy to get a taxi. (We primarily used Bolt instead of taxis and Uber during our trip.) The taxi drivers also offer private tours around the island if you are interested. Because we arrived at 8:00 a.m., there was little traffic, and our driver quickly dropped us off outside the pedestrian-only Old Town of Valletta. It was a short, but jaw-dropping walk to our hotel, the Domus Zamittello. The historic hotel is located on Republic Street (aka the main drag), which gave us easy access to everything. Even though our windows overlooked the busy street, we never heard noise at night while trying to sleep.
Our room was in the original palazzo, part of the estate of the Auberge D’Italie, one of the langues of the Order of St. John, but had been renovated to make it extremely comfortable. The air conditioning worked well, and our bed was very comfortable. We ate in the restaurant our first night since we arrived late and were met with great service and excellent food. The staff was the crowning glory of the hotel. Everyone was so helpful both before and during our stay. They helped us arrange tours, drivers, and dinners for our visit. (If you’re busy looking up what a “langue” is, keep reading.)
A quick, at least as quick as possible, history of Malta…
The history of Malta goes back thousands of years, literally, and consists of many different peoples. The Megalithic and Neolithic peoples settled in Malta as early as the 5000s BC. Next came the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Ottomans, and the Knights of St. John, before eventually gaining independence from Britain in 1964. With all these peoples controlling the island at one point or another, the architecture, foods, and language have incorporated pieces of each.
The Knights of St. John left as lasting impression as the Megaliths and Neoliths. These knights were originally a monastic order established to take care of the sick and injured pilgrims in Jerusalem. Through the years, they also became military. After Jerusalem fell to the Ottomans, the Knights of St. John moved to Rhodes where they stayed 200 years until the Ottomans once more advanced. In 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, gave Malta to the Knights for an annual payment of one falcon. (Remember the Maltese Falcon?!?!) A group of 600 knights and 6,000 solders held Malta against the Ottoman siege with approximately 40,000 soldiers in 1565. The battles were fierce and very gruesome. For example, The Ottomans took the decapitated bodies of prisoners, nailed them to crosses, and floated them across the harbor as a warning of what was to come. Not to be outdone, the Knights loaded their cannons with the heads of their Turkish prisoners and fired them at the ships in the harbor.
Malta once again changed hands as the Knights of St. John were forced to leave in 1798 when Napoleon took over for a short, two-year, period of French occupancy. The Maltese were not happy with the French and asked the English to help. The British took over Malta in 1800 and kept it until 1964 when Malta gained its independence.
The next morning, we took a City Walking Tour of Valletta to orient us in the town. Our hotel was next to the Pjazza Teatru Rjal, the primary performance center, built from the ashes of the Royal Opera House which was demolished in WWII. Instead of rebuilding the entire facility as it was, the facility has maintained its historic columns and transformed itself into an outdoor theater.
We walked through the paved Old Town to the Hastings Garden where we had a great view of the original walls built by the Knights of St. John. Limestone is the basic building material used in construction. These stones give the older buildings a sandy color by day and a golden color at sunset. The center of Old Town is relatively flat, but everywhere else in Valletta and its surrounding towns is reached only by steep staircases of many shallow steps. (These were supposedly shallow because it was easier for the Knights to climb them in their armor.)
As we walked through the town, we saw several of the buildings of the 8 langue of the Knights. (Langues were the groups of Knights divided by their languages.) Many of these have been transformed into hotels or museums. Some characteristics of buildings constructed during the Knights’ leadership are that there could be no gardens outside of a building, only in courtyards, so enemies could not hide and attack. Also, every building was required to have a well. The city itself was a planned city, so streets are fairly straight—though definitely not level. Many of the streets still retain their names from these days. For example, Straight Street is the narrowest in Valletta and was where prostitutes and the bars were located originally. (Another interesting historical point: The Knights imported grain, prostitutes, and ice from Sicily which is only 90 miles away.)
Our city walk also took us to the Upper Barrakka Gardens where we could look down on the Saluting Battery to see cannons fired twice daily over the natural Grand Harbor. We found the all-important elevator, lift, that we used to get us to the docks and then on to the ferries to the three cities or Gozo without climbing so many stairs.
We also went to St. John’s Co-Cathedral, with one of the most beautiful interiors I have ever seen in a cathedral. My first question was, “Why is it a co-cathedral?” When the Knights of St. John arrived in Malta, there was already a cathedral in Mdina, St. Paul’s. The knights built their own church in Malta, but it could not be a cathedral, the seat of an archbishop, since one already existed in the small country. It was only in 1816 that the churches became equal, co-cathedrals, by a papal decree. The exterior of the church belies the magnificent interior.
Baroque art fills the church with color and art. The floor is covered with colorful, inlaid marble tombstones that the Knights commissioned for themselves. The beautiful pictures tell of the accomplishments and virtues of the knights and are decorated with many symbols such as skeletons and crowns. (Supposedly, the knights hoped to ensure their place in Heaven by telling all they had done.)
St. John’s Co-Cathedral also houses two of Caravaggio’s works, including the only one of his works that is signed, “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist.” Caravaggio was knighted in the very room where the painting is hung. Unfortunately, a few years later he was expelled from the order whether because of his drinking, gambling, or the murder he committed. (A few notes about visiting the church: There is a charge to enter. By entering with a tour, we skipped the massive line. Also, to protect the floor you are not allowed to wear stilettos in the church, as if any person actually wears stilettos for a walking tour.)
Looking upward on the outside of the Co-Cathedral, visitors can see the Maltese Cross. Its 8 points represent the 8 langues of the knights as well as the 8 beatitudes according to St. Matthew and the 8 virtues that each knight was to have. (You can find the Maltese Cross in some form or fashion in every souvenir store.)
While our tour of Valletta stopped at St. John’s, other days we explored the city on our own. We saw the video The 45-minute video of “The Malta Experience” is shown in the Mediterranean Conference Centre which was built as the Holy Infirmary of the Order of St. John. We also took the excellent tour of the Sacra Infermeria. Originally, there were 6 levels. Men of all races could be treated in the hospital, but no women were allowed in order to reduce temptation to the knights. (Many of the knights had mistresses, so I’m not certain what a little more temptation would do!) Actually, based on some of the treatments we learned about, the women may have been the lucky ones since nuns treated them at home. The wards were extremely large. In fact, at 155 meters, one of the wards was the longest in the world. Color-coded curtains around the bed denoted what problem the bed residents, often 4 of them to a bed, were afflicted with. Each bed did have its own toilet, though. Of course, toilets consisted of a hole in the ground with drains leading out to the sea. These underground rooms served many purposes over the years before becoming an event center. The lower levels of this 6-floor facility have major issues with flooding.
Another stop during our six days in Malta was St. Catherine’s monastery which is now open to visitors—at least on the bottom floor. The self-guided tour gives insight into the nuns’ way of life. Once these sisters took their vows, they never left the walls, even in death. The only exception was in the 1970s when, unfortunately, the laws changed, and the nuns could no longer be buried within the walls. Thankfully, the law was changed again so the sisters can now stay within the walls, even in death.
Another stop for us was the Lascaris War Rooms of WWII and Operation Husky, the attack on nearby Sicily that led to Italy’s surrender. These exhibits are in tunnels carved deep in the limestone for safety. (Many of the original parts of the limestone caves throughout Malta and Gozo were constructed originally by the Knights of St. John or even the earlier inhabitants of the islands.) Because of its strategic location, Malta was the most bombed country per capita during World War II. In order to survive, people hid within the warren of tunnels that exist beneath the surface of the islands. In fact, the entire country received the George Cross in 1942 from the British for bravery in the face of extreme danger. The Lascaris War Rooms show the intensity of the Siege of Malta and the strategic plans for the attack on Sicily.
I loved wandering around the Old Town and exploring some of the many churches. (Malta has 359 churches across the islands of Malta and Gozo—although I also heard 365 so there is one per day of the year.) Some of the beautiful ones included the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. (Yes, that St. Paul, but more about that in a day trip to Gozo.)
Another day we visited the Grandmaster’s Palace, which once housed the leader of the Order of St. John, the grandmaster. Now, the 450-year-old building is home to the Maltese Parliament and the office of the Presidency. In addition to providing history of the Knights of St. John, the palace houses an extensive armory which was very interesting and overwhelming. (Check the hours of various churches and buildings. Many close for siesta.)
We couldn’t leave Valletta without visiting one more palace, this time the Casa Rocca Piccola which was built in the 1500s by the de Piro family who has maintained ownership over 400 years. The 50-room mansion has transformed many of the rooms into a museum that shows the lives of Maltese nobility. We were also able to tour the bomb shelter, aka tunnels, under the home which, during the dangerous days of WWII, often held over 100 people.
We squeezed a lot into a few days in Valletta, but we also took various fun day trips. Of course, we had to enjoy the excellent food in Malta. (Make certain to make reservations before going, especially if it is a busy period.) We squeezed a lot into a few days in Valletta, but we also took various fun day trips. Of course, we had to enjoy the excellent food in Malta. (Make certain to make reservations before going, especially if it is a busy period.) We ate at Rubino, Rampila, where you can eat on the terrace or in the tunnels, and Café Cordina, the oldest café in Valletta which has been in operation since 1837. We also dined at the Ta’Xbiex Waterpolo Club in the neighboring town of Ta’Xbiex.
If you go to Ta’Xbiex, make a reservation on the upper terrace for a perfect view of Valletta at night. It is next to Sliema and St. Julian’s two newer and busier areas near Valletta. Along the way, we also stopped at the Museum Café to sample freía bread stuffed with tuna, olives and tomato sauce and Kinnie, the local soft drink favorite. (After all the horror stories we had heard about Kinnie, we were prepared for the drink to be horrible, so we were pleasantly surprised to find it quite good.) We also visited Ellul Wine and Spirits for drinks--multiple times.
This little sidewalk café with live music was representative of the many cafés lining the well-lit walks and stairs of the city. (Everyone flocks to bars and cafes for Happy Hour each day.) We also made a stop at a pastry shop to sample the pastizzis, fried puff pastries filled with either ricotta cheese or mashed peas. (I like the cheese better.)
We were so glad we also had time for several day trips out of Valletta. (Link to day trips from Valletta are below.) Of course, like most places, there were still sites that we did not have time to see. We didn’t spend time at the numerous beautiful beaches. We also were not able to visit the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. (If you want to visit this place, you need to get tickets months in advance.) We also didn’t get to Popeye’s Village where Popeye, the movie, was filmed. As always, maybe another visit?
For more info on all our trips, please subscribe by clicking here.
Learn more about this trip to Malta, followed by a cruise up the eastern coast of Italy, and ending in Venice, click on the following links. (I will have these posted soon!)
