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Mediterranean magic

20Malta Highlights visitmalta © visitmalta Allard Schager/Getty images © 2 zure zure wejra, in here’s also the here’s ock rears from the piercing blue ea, whichis a wonderful place to he thrilling coastline D of T featuressome , astoundingly editerranean. lose the to coast, the great chunk of nland S Dwejra 2 beautiful rock formations that been have sculpted the by wind and here sea. From you can take boat a trip through the A an archrock Window, of that forms a doorway the to open sea. T I swimand snorkel when the sea is calm. C R Fungus M he nesco he hills alta’s capital alta’s t’s the size of a small of the t’s size ite. I ite. eritage S ating from 1566, M is a remarkable city and a U D mean some the of roads are so steep they be to stepped,have and the roller-coaster streetscape allows mesmerisingviews along the straight, narrow lanes and out sea.to town – easy exploretown on to foot, and laid out in a harmonious grid formation. T tall, gracious houses are distinctive for their wood-and-glassbalconies, which give them a top-heavy look. T World H World Wandering in Valletta Wandering 1

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Fish in Marsaxlokk Mdina © visitmalta It gets busy every Sunday at the ’s tiny ex-capital is a walled small coastal town of Marsaxlokk. city perched on a hilltop, filled with 3Locals and tourists throng to visit the beautiful4 -coloured buildings. The buzzing fish market, where you can buy views from its bastions are sensational, all manner of sea bounty, from rock fish sweeping across the island and out to sea. to baby sharks. The harbour bobs with A treasure trove of museums, artefacts colourful fishing boats painted with the and churches (including Malta’s other eye of Osiris – a tradition that’s thought to cathedral), Mdina is also appealingly mys- hark back to the Phoenician era. The sea- terious at night, when everything’s closed front, lined with excellent fish restaurants, and the city is dimly lit and empty. Wander is a great place for a long, lazy lunch – a around after most people have left and favourite activity of locals as well as visi- you’ll understand why it’s known as the tors. ‘Silent City’.

3 Jean-Pierre Jean-Pierre L escourret/Getty ima escourret/Getty

5 visitmalta.© Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra g es© Temples A Unesco World Heritage Site, these 5structures date from 3200 BC and are among Malta’s finest and most atmospheric, partly due to their breathtaking location – they are set high up on the edge of coastal cliffs that are carpeted by wild flow- ers in spring. There are magnificent views out to sea and over to the distant islet of Filfla, and marked nature trails around the surrounding countryside. 6

M Vittoriosa’s backstreets Comino ar k

A Vittoriosa – known locally as Birgu, This small, rocky island has a beauti- vellino/Getty ima vellino/Getty its name before the Great Siege ful coastline and an eclectic history, 6of 1565 – is the most fascinating of the having7 served as a hermit’s hideaway and Three Cities. This small town, perched on a prison camp. It was written of by Ptol­ g es© its small lip of land, has stunning views all emy, and today it attracts huge numbers around it and perfectly preserved ancient of visitors to its Blue Lagoon. This serene streets within. It was the original home of sea pool is so blue that it looks like an the Knights of St John, but it’s no mu- over-saturated image – if you manage seum – this is a living, breathing city with a to see it without the crowds (try an early strong sense of community. You’re in luck morning swim), it’s breathtaking. Comino if you’ve timed your visit to see Birgu by is an equally beautiful place to walk, with Candlelight in October, when the streets easy paths around the island leading up to are lit by candles. the 17th-century watchtower and around the coast to the island’s sole hotel.

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Hal Saflieni Diving & Victoria Hypogeum snorkelling The Il-Kastell of Visiting these an- Malta and Gozo have 10 Victoria is an cient underground some of the best div- evocative place to wander 8burial chambers is a 9ing and snorkelling sites in – this tiny medina (walled unique, mysterious and the world, with underwater city) almost seems to grow out of its rocky outcrop. It 9 awe-­inspiring experience. caves, cliffs, coral reefs, S cott Portelli/Getty ima Portelli/Getty cott Amazingly preserved, the shipwrecks and plane was built after a particular- sacred spaces hollowed wrecks colonised by glim- ly devastating raid on the out from the rock are mering shoals of fish. The island, when almost every around 5000 years old, yet islands are a wonderfully Gozitan was carried off to slavery; there was a time g painted ochre patterns are accessible place to explore es © es still visible, decorating the the undersea scene, with when the entire population ceilings of some sections. lots of fine diving schools of around 3000 used to This Unesco World Heri­ catering to learners as well sleep here at night. Sweep- tage Site offers a window as experienced divers. ing views can be had from into a mysterious ancient its battlements. world, which leaves a beguiling and perplexing resonance. You’ll need to book several weeks ahead. 12 N ic

Swimming at San Blas Bay St John’s Co-Cathedral k

S Gozo has some strikingly pretty The austere exterior of Valletta’s ima ervian/Getty beaches along its northeastern cathedral is no preparation for the 11coast, with the rich, red sands of the most frenzy12 of baroque gold and lavish deco- g well known, Ramla Bay, attracting crowds ration in its interior. The floor alone is a © es in the summer months. For a more seclu­ carpet of many-coloured marble tombs, ded swim, locals and savvy visitors head in which symbolic pictures are delicately to San Blas Bay, a little further east along rendered in stone. The chapels, each per- the coast. The beach has a very steep ap- taining to an auberge, vie to outdo each proach, which puts off the faint-hearted, other in opulence. The outstanding high- rendering it far less busy and giving it the light is Caravaggio’s Beheading of John the sense of a well-kept secret. There are few Baptist in the Oratory – the largest work greater treats than a picnic lunch here on produced by the artist and the only one he a warm, sunny day. is known to have signed.

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Fine dining in St Julian’s Walking on Gozo el T St Julian’s, set around a glorious Malta’s diminutive neighbouring oczyns

scoop of bay, is one of Malta’s culi- island has a rolling, rural feel, and k i/Getty ima i/Getty nary13 and nightlife centres. It’s sandwiched is14 covered in a carpet of wild flowers in between the areas of Paceville, which at- spring. It’s dotted by villages and huge g tracts a younger party crowd (if you’re 25, churches, and has a topography of at- © es you’re old), and graceful Sliema, one of the tractive hills, towering cliffs and dramatic island’s most elegant districts. St Julian’s coastal rock formations. You can glimpse is packed with restaurants, and is loved by the azure Mediterranean from almost locals and visitors alike. A here could everywhere. The roads are quiet and the see you dining on 30-day aged beef at a landscape is criss-crossed by walking hidden-away Italian restaurant, enjoying trails, making it a fantastic place to ram- Asian fusion and a view out across the ble. Such is the size of the island (around glittering lights of the bay or tucking into 14km long), that you could almost cover hamburgers with names like ‘the its entirety in just a few days. Obama’. 15

Ken Ken Religious & S cicluna/Getty ima cicluna/Getty traditional 13 celebrations T etra etra Catholicism runs I ma g es © es g deep in Malta. es/Getty ima es/Getty T15his is a land that’s pep- pered with churches, and g es © es shrines on every street corner. Easter and Christ- mas are extraordinary times to visit, but there’s always a town festival somewhere, as well as other major celebrations, such as Carnival. Reli- gious events are celebrat- ed with great splendour, when communities join to parade holy icons in vivid processions. Everyone is involved, from young to old; the most elderly spectators being wheeled out of their houses to watch. Such festivities not only provide a mov- ing, fantastic spectacle, but also an unforgettable insight into Maltese life. 16 D orlin Eating Maltese with Fomm ir-Riħ Bay g Kindersley/Getty ima Kindersley/Getty the locals In some parts of Malta the towns Signature Maltese includes 17 seem to almost ebb into each some of the world’s best – other, such is the small size of the island. ftira16 – often filled with a tantalising mix of However, there is a surprising number of g es © es tuna, tomatoes, and pickles. Pastizzi wild places around the country where you are small filo pastry parcels wrapping mor- can veer off the beaten track, escape the sels of or mushy peas: the quintes- crowds, and feel as if you’ve stumbled on sential Maltese snack. In restaurants you a local secret. One such secret is the bay can sample more substantial local fare, of Fomm ir-Riħ, a stretch of coast edged such as rabbit stewed in red , stuffed by white sand and backed by cliffs and octopus, or snail ragout, downed with a farmland. It can be reached by boat, or by Maltese Cisk beer or non-alcoholic Kinnie. road and then foot along a narrow coastal Local recipes merge influences fromI talian path. to Turkish, and to try them in a buzzing lo- cal restaurant is a delicious way to experi- ence a slice of Maltese life.

17 S te f ania Bar ania b ier/ A lamy © lamy 19 * D Dingli Cliffs Boat trips ima aniGanz*/Getty Malta’s breathtaking 220m-high One of Malta’s greatest pleasures Dingli Cliffs are a thrillingly ex- is to glide or speed across the 18posed place to walk, with wide, open 19azure M editerranean Sea surrounding the g views out to sea. Ambling south along the islands. You’ll get the most breathtaking © es cliff-top potholed track, you’ll reach Mal- views of Malta’s amazing coastal struc- ta’s highest point, Ta’Żuta. Around here is tures by boat – the spectacular caverns of prime territory for hiking, paragliding and the Blue Grotto and the extraordinary for- rockclimbing. Also topping the cliffs is the mations at Dwejra on Gozo. Trips around homely Bobbyland Restaurant, housed in Gozo and Comino offer views of stunning a former Nissen hut (a structure used for natural beauty, the latter including the storage during wartime), where you can clear, iridescent Blue Lagoon. Or, for a feast on traditional Maltese cuisine along- taste of everything, round-island trips take side local families and watch paragliders in thrilling, sea-sculpted cliffs, mysterious float past. coves and glittering seaside towns.

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g of architectural develop- es © es ment, unmatched since the city’s conception in the 16th century, and with its new Renzo Piano-designed parlia- ment building and City Gate, the capital has a gleaming 21st-century face. The other cornerstone of the devel- opment is a new outdoor theatre, built upon the ruins of the city’s 19th-century op- era house (it was bombed in 1942). It’s a thoroughly new, completely extraordinary experience to see a perform- ance in this controversial amphitheatre, set amid the remains of the opera house, which have been preserved as a reminder of Malta’s tumultuous history.