Vacation Time: Malta!

The Land of Honey

REPORTING BY Elena M. Zepeda

A VIBRANT ISLAND NATION in the central Mediterranean Sea, Malta lies 80km south of Sicily and 284km east of Tunisia. It offers a unique blend of 7,000 years of history and 300 days of annual sunshine. You’ll find sandy beaches, fossil-studded cliffs, hidden coves, diverse cuisine and a surprisingly lively party scene, plus countless must-see historical attractions.

BASE YOURSELF IN VALLETTA, the European Union’s smallest and southernmost capital city. Nestled on a rocky peninsula overlooking grand natural harbours, the entire walled fortress town is UNESCO-listed. Founded in the late 1500s by the Knights of St John (check out the 16th-century Grandmaster’s Palace), it’s now a walkable and vibrant ‘open-air museum’.

STEP BACK IN TIME in golden-hued Mdina, an 18-minute drive inland from Valletta. Malta’s capital in medieval times, it’s now known as the ‘silent city’ thanks to its cloistered atmosphere and narrow, virtually

car-free streets. Drop by Fontanella Tea Garden, a popular spot on the ramparts famous for its chocolate cake and panoramic island views.

WALK TO RABAT, just outside Mdina’s walls, for a more bustling and everyday Maltese experience, plus Roman ruins, crypts and catacombs. Malta is known as the ‘Mediterranean’s Hollywood’, having served as a filming location for Gladiator and Troy – Game of Thrones fans will recognise Rabat’s St Dominic’s Priory as a filming location for several scenes in the first season.

MARVEL AT THE MEGALITHIC Temple of Ħaġar Qim in southern Malta: dating from 3700 to 3200 BCE, it’s one of the oldest temple complexes in the world – older than the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge. The facade, with its trilithon entrance (two upright stones with a third across the top as a lintel) has been restored, and gives an idea of what the site may once have looked like.

CATCH A FISHING BOAT at Marsaxlokk harbour, also in southern Malta, to see the Blue Grotto, a string of seven, sea-sculpted coastal caverns. The brightly painted tour boats (luzzus) make the trip all the prettier – traditional craft, dating back to Phoenician times (500 to 300 BC), they feature an eye (the Eye of Horus) on the bow, an ancient symbol of protection.

HOP ON A FERRY to explore Gozo and Comino, two smaller islands in the Maltese archipelago. On Comino, head to the Blue Lagoon, a picturesque cove surrounded by rugged cliffs and rock formations. On Gozo, visit the windswept Marsalforn salt pans: cut into the coastal limestone by hand, they date back to Roman times and are still used to harvest salt between May and September.