Malta’s Historic Tempo

Clients visiting Malta will travel 7,000 years of history yet live passionately in the present. You'll span the millennia with an astonishing array of things to discover. And wherever you go, the Islands' scenery and architecture provide a spectacular backdrop. Its colors are striking, honey-colored stone against the deepest of Mediterranean blues in a country that boasts nearly 365 days of sunshine.
The Maltese Islands have been described as one big open-air museum. What makes them unique is that so much of their past is visible today. Even on a superficial tour, visitors can delve into the islands' mysterious prehistory, retrace the footsteps of St. Paul or see where the Knights of St. John defended Christendom.
The capital city of Valletta hosts live performances of plays and concerts, as well as scores of exhibitions and street events. The Museum of Archaeology in Valletta houses an exceptionally rich collection of prehistoric artifacts. The War Museum at Fort St. Elmo is home to a Sunday military parade in period costumes re-enactment and the capital also possesses the impressive Grand Master’s Palace and St. John’s Co-cathedral.
Additionally, the Megalithic Temples (including Ggantija, the oldest freestanding temple in the world), the underground St. Paul’s and St. Agatha’s catacombs, The Knights of St. John’s significant sites, such as Fort St. Angelo and Fort Rinella (home to the world’s largest cannon). WWII significant sites, such as the Mgarr war shelter, Mtarfa ex-British military buildings, The Armoury and the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa are not to be missed. Nor are the Carnivals in Valletta and the Nadur carnival in Gozo, one of the main islands of Malta.
While Malta is the largest island and the cultural, commercial and administrative center, Gozo is the second largest island and is more rural, characterized by fishing, tourism, crafts and agriculture while Comino is largely uninhabited.
Likewise, the Islands offer plenty of special interest holidays for those seeking to learn a new skill, discover history or get fit. If clients are interested in sports, Malta can cater to the amateur athlete as well as the casual first-timer. Malta has wellness and spa facilities at the luxury hotels and club resorts. Sea and land lend themselves to activities from rock-climbing to gentle rambling. For a change from Malta itself, hop to the sister islands of Gozo and Comino.
FIT Tours Creates Maltese Webcast
The Embassy of Malta, in D.C. and Foreign Independent Tours are promoting travel to this exquisite Mediterranean Jewel. Says Diane Panasci, head of Marketing and Product Development at Foreign Independent Tours, “We are sponsoring the year-long webcast which starts with the ‘Caravaggio and the Knights of Malta: a 400-Year Perspective,’” which began airing on Oct. 28, 2008 and will continue for a year. “Hopefully, the placement of this webcast will lead people to see our seven standard packages to Malta and of course we want to let agents know we are able to help them sell this delightful country to their price conscious travelers,” she adds.
To kick off the company’s foray into Malta, a seven-day tour, the Art and Temples of Malta, is priced from $1,499 per person and will remain valid through Oct., 2009.
The price covers roundtrip airfare from NY-JFK, Boston or Washington Dulles to Malta, roundtrip transfers, five nights’ accommodations at The Palace Hotel in Sliema, breakfast daily, half day tour in Valleta and a full day tour of the Blue Grotto and Temples. Call 800-248-3487; www.fittours.com
For more information on Malta, visit www.visitmalta.com

April 2004 Cover Feature

The Many Faces of Malta

By Jad Davenport

Malta is the kind of place that’s easy for many clients to overlook, especially if they are still getting to know Europe. This small archipelago composed of three main islands—Malta, Gozo and Comino—sits right between Europe and Africa, and shares a medley of culture, language and history from both continents. It has long been a popular vacation destination for Europeans who are charmed by its honey-colored landscape and fascinating history. It’s a quick flight from most European cities and offers year-round abundant sunshine and affordable hotels.For Americans, however, Malta still remains a bit of an enigma. It was never on the fabled Grand Tour, and isn’t as well known as a tourist destination as many of its European neighbors. Americans tend to chance upon the islands later in their travels, discovering Malta after they have developed an affinity for Mediterranean history and a fondness for the climate. Sometimes they stumble across the islands because of an inexpensive package deal, a stop-over on a cruise or as an add-on option to a more Continental itinerary. No matter how they arrive, though, Americans become thoroughly charmed with this treasure of the Mediterranean.The three main islands are small and low, with only four hundred thousand people. Despite the agricultural feel of the islands with their orange groves and vineyards, the nation today draws most of its wealth from tourism, manufacturing and shipbuilding. These industries, together with low inflation and unemployment rates, have given an edge to the islands that has kept them thriving.<p>While many people, particularly from Northern Europe, come to the islands for the seaside fun, sandy beaches are far and few between. One of the finest and largest, Ramla I-Hamra, is on Gozo. Most of the coastline, however, is made up of rocky shores and steep headlands making for some stunning scenery. Along the rugged western coast of Gozo is the famed Azure Window, a spectacular stone arch that spans the foaming sea.Except for a brief springtime when the fields and slopes turn a vibrant green alive with flowers, the landscape is somewhat dry with a few limestone escarpments rising from the sea. When the hot Sirocco winds blow in from the Sahara in the middle of summer, it can feel more like North Africa than Southern Europe. For most of the year, the weather is pleasantly mild and tempered by the gentle breezes from the sea, which in Malta is never distant. When it gets too hot, there are small oasis of green to be found in sheltered forests. In the southwestern part of Malta, the formidable Dingli Cliffs preserve one such pocket of orange trees called the Buskett Gardens.
The real draw in Malta is not necessarily its gentle climate or spectacular coastline, but the wonderful pageant of history that has swept over these isles for the last several thousand years. That the islands are so steeped in ancient civilizations can be intimidating; Knights and Kings, cathedrals and temples, all swirl around the casual visitor. The easiest way to get your bearings is to pick up a ticket for the Malta Experience, a multi-media audiovisual show
put on regularly at the St. Elmo Bastions, in the capital city Valletta.
It’s not hard, after stepping out of St. Elmo Bastions, to instantly feel connected to the historical aspect of the islands you have just learned about.
Take a look around you at the fabulous walled city of Valletta, a city that Sir Walter Scott said was built by gentlemen, for gentlemen.
The city itself is named after the Grandmaster of the Knights who defended the islands against the Turks in 1565. Over the years, it was built to be a vast fortress and became known as the city of the Knights of the Order of St. John. It was, in essence, their final refuge, the outpost they retreated to as the Ottomans expanded across the Mediterranean. Charles V offered Malta to the knights after they withdrew first from Cyprus and later Rhodes. And in 1565, they proved their bravery during the Great Siege, successfully fighting off the Islamic armies.
Walking the streets of Valletta you will be wandering through an island country that has successfully joined modern Europe. These days, well over half the islands’ population resides in its rambling neighborhoods that sprawl over a peninsula and the surrounding harbor. Its ordered layout and no-nonsense fortifications, and countless palaces, squares and cathedrals impress visitors even today.Hop on one of the numerous horse-buggies weaving in and out of afternoon traffic, and you will be treated to Valletta as it was in the 16th century—long thin streets rising up from the harbor below. Stop at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in the old town, and you’ll understand why Malta was chosen by the soldier-monks as the site for this fortified city.
You will look down hundreds of feet at the flat blue of the protected harbor and the three ancient cities of the capital district—Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea. Be sure and spend some time exploring St. John's Co-Cathedral, in the center of the old town. Within its cool marble halls, built in 1577, is a wonderful floor mosaic of tombstones commemorating knights of the order who fought and died throughout the Middle East and Europe. At the nearby Palace of the Grand Masters, where the nation’s president and parliament now meet, you can admire friezes and frescoes that memorialize that crucible out of which the city’s fame emerged—The Great Siege. At Fort St. Elmo, you can even take tours guided by docents dressed as Crusaders.
Modern day Malta, as of May 1st 2004 a member of the European Union, is still an outpost of the British empire, in spirit at least. A century and a half of British rule has left its mark. Buses trundle down streets named after cities and villages in the U.K., Bermuda-short wearing tourists phone home from bright red booths, and enjoy a Guinness at the corner pub.
As evidenced by busloads of English tourists, the British hold Malta dear in their hearts. They paid a heavy price for this affection during World War II when the island fortress was a British naval port. It suffered heavily from Axis bombings. Before the British and the Crusaders, however, Malta had a long and distinguished list of visitors and invaders including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and even Normans. None, however, left as impressive a legacy as the earliest Maltese.
On the south side of Malta is one of the island’s eeriest remnants of these civilizations—the massive stone Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples which were constructed around 4,000 B.C. Even more haunting is the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground Neolithic temple found carved out of the limestone beneath a residential neighborhood. Some of the most enigmatic archaeological sites are across the water on the island of Gozo where the 7,000-year-old ruins of Ggantija are a gigantic and enigmatic reminder of how little is actually known of the most ancient islanders.
Get outside the cities, and a landscape full of beauty and fascination will enchant you. Explore the countryside by car—the easiest way to get around—and you'll be driving on the left hand side of the road. While the driving might be a challenge, the language isn't, as most Maltese speak fluent English—one of Malta's official languages.
The countryside is also a great place to see the arts and crafts of the island. Elderly women sit outside their houses in small fishing villages on Gozo working on intricate lace designs that have been handed down through their families since the 16th century. Men with thick monocles craft silver jewelry, while others huff down pipes and create handcrafted glassware.
The country is still strongly tied to the Catholic church, whose influence permeates daily life from the tolling church bells to the festival season. So important is religion in Maltese daily life, that locals like to joke that the islands have 365 churches, one for each day of the year.
Long before the knights arrived, Mdina, a fortified city crowned on a rocky outcrop, was the administrative and political center. Some of the best-preserved architecture outside Valletta is found here, including the Palazzo Falzon, built in 1495. In the beautiful main piazza, you can marvel at an 11th-century Roman Catholic cathedral. The narrow cobbled streets, standing defensive walls and expansive views across the central plateau, together with the fact that many Maltese aristocratic families still reside here, have given the city the nickname —Citta Notabile (the Noble City).
The countryside is also an excellent place to escape the gravity of resort hotel food and taste the fantastic cuisine that has developed after centuries of trading with neighbors. Not surprisingly, Southern Italian and Sicilian food seems to have the strongest influence. Local specialties include pastizzi (cheese pastries), timpana (macaroni, cheese and egg pie), and fenek (rabbit). Anglophiles rest assured, it's not hard to find British fish and chips.Whether your client develops a taste for Maltese cuisine or not, one thing is certain. They will return from their journey to this medieval island with a sense of having found someplace special. Malta is a country, that after centuries of sitting on the trade routes of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is patiently awaiting rediscovery.

Contact the Malta Tourism Authority via email: office.us@visitmalta.com
For information go to: http://www.visitmalta.com