Malta Information
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 17
Home Country: malta
|
 Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:28 am Post subject: MALTA TOURISM GUIDE |
 |
|
MALTA TOURISM GUIDE
In Malta, you'll explore 7000 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. The colours are striking. Honey-coloured stone against the deepest of Mediterranean blues.
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. Delve into the Islands' mysterious prehistory, retrace the footsteps of St Paul or see where the Knights of St John defended Christendom.
But Malta is no regular museum. Here life is lived to the full, so make time for some living history and action. Visit locations where Oscar-winning blockbusters were filmed or go off the beaten track into ancient villages. Marvel at the fireworks and revelry of the summertime festas and enjoy a packed calendar of events all year round.
Valletta - World Heritage City
The Fortress City, Citta' Umilissima, "a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen". Valletta has many titles, all recalling its rich historical past. It is the "modern" city built by the Knights of St John; a masterpiece of the baroque; a European Art City; and a World Heritage City. But these are just some of its faces and fortunes.
Valletta is also Malta's capital city: a living, working city, the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands. Nowhere in Malta is the life of the Islands reflected more than here. The city is busy by day, yet retains a timeless atmosphere. The grid of narrow streets house some of Europe's finest art works, churches and palaces.
Valletta hosts a vast cultural programme. Street events are staged against the city's magnificent baroque architecture and floodlit bastions. There is theatre and music and all manner of things to see and join in, from avant garde art to traditional church festas. The city is a delight to shop in: narrow side streets are full of tiny shops selling antiques, maps, books, prints and jewellery. For top quality fashion, music and much more try Valletta's main streets - Republic Street and Merchants Street.
Walking around Valletta, you'll come across an intriguing historical site around every corner: votive statues, niches, fountains and coats of arms high up on parapets. And when you need to stop and take it all in, the city yields up squares, courtyards, gardens and any number of cafés, right on cue.
Picturesque Villages
Worlds apart from the main resorts and the capital Valletta, are the Islands’ villages. They are the epitomé of Mediterranean life. The soul of the Islands’ past. Yet with their lively festas and unique everyday life they are very much part of the Islands’ culture today.
Even the smallest has its own baroque wonder, the parish church. And to locals, each village has its unique character. After visiting a few, you’ll soon pick up on the differences.
Some are known for their festas and traditions, others are national gems as they house archaeological or architectural treasures. Then there are the seaside villages, where the rhythm of life is dictated by fishing. While life in inland villages is determined by the harvesting of the various fruits and vegetables grown nearby.
The oddity about the Islands’ villages is their size. A village is not defined by the number of residents or streets. The description really dates back to a time when village boundaries were defined by parishes. Some of the larger ones, like Zebbug in central Malta are still referred to as villages.
Malta also has its ‘Three Villages’, rather like its Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea. The Three Villages are Attard, Balzan and Lija in central Malta. During the Golden Age of Malta after the Great Siege, many noble families built houses here, and identified the villages with a semi-urban sophistication.
While the size of Malta's villages may vary, those in Gozo are usually small and life here is mostly centred on the activities of the parish and community.
Mdina & Rabat
The history of Mdina and its suburb Rabat is as old and as chequered as the history of Malta itself. Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital, can trace its origins back more than 4000 years. Rabat can claim the origins of Maltese Christianity. It was here in A.D. 60 that the Apostle St Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. Both Mdina and Rabat are fascinating to tour for their timeless atmosphere and their cultural and religious treasures.
Mdina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role. It was Melita to the Romans; Medina to the Arabs; and Citta’ Vecchia, the old city, when Valletta became the lifeblood of the Islands. None describe it better than its medieval name, Citta’ Notabile, the noble city.
It was home then, as now, to Malta’s noble families; some are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th century onwards. Their Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets. Mdina is one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city, and unusual in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture.
Today Mdina has a quiet, restrained atmosphere in keeping with its noble past. Lamplit by night, Mdina transforms itself into the ‘Silent City’. For a relaxed evening, seek out the restaurants tucked away in its bastions and palace courtyards.
The Three Cities
The Three Cities offer an intriguing insight into Malta and its history. Left largely unvisited, the Three Cities are a slice of authentic life, and a glimpse into Malta’s maritime fortunes.
The Three Cities can rightly claim to be the cradle of Maltese history. Vittoriosa and Senglea on rocky promontories jutting into Grand Harbour, and Cospicua at the end of the creek between, have provided a home and fortress to almost every people who settled here.
Their harbour inlets have been in use since Phoenician times: the docks always providing a living for local people, but also leaving them vulnerable when Malta’s rulers were at war. As the first home to the Knights of St John, the Cities’ palaces, churches, forts and bastions are far older than Valletta’s.
The local communities here celebrate holy days and festas as nowhere else on the Islands. The most spectacular events are the Easter processions when statues of the "Risen Christ" are carried at a run through crowded streets. Another attraction is the Birgu Festival in October which re-enacts the arrival of the Knights on Malta in 1530.
Although renamed by the Knights to reflect their victory over the Ottoman Turks, the Cities are still called by their older names of Birgu, L-Isla and Bormla. They are known as the ‘Cottonera’ after the Grand Master Cottonerwho built their inland defences. Understanding this name game is all part of discovering a fascinating area of the Islands.
Gozo
Gozo and tiny Comino provide a tranquil haven for a tempo and scene change.
The charm of Gozo is apparent the moment you arrive there. Greener, more rural and smaller than Malta, life on Gozo moves at a leisurely pace. The rhythms dictated by the seasons, fishing and agriculture.
In winter and spring, the Island is covered with flowering herbs and lush crops. In summer, it’s awash with oleander, bougainvillea and geranium.
Gozo is steeped in myth. Thought to be the legendary Calypso’s isle of Homer’s Odyssey, it’s a peaceful, mystical backwater. Baroque churches and old stone farmhouses dot the countryside.
Its rugged landscape and spectacular coastline await exploration. Choose from rocky inlets to red sand beaches or sail, snorkel, dive and fish. Gozo has some of the Mediterranean’s best dive sites.
But there’s more. Gozo comes complete with historical sites, forts and amazing panoramas. Plus one of the archipelago’s best-preserved prehistoric temples, Ggantija. Not to mention a nightlife and cultural calendar all its own, and some great dining out.
All roads in Gozo lead to Victoria, or Rabat, as the local people call it. Almost the moment you arrive in Gozo, you see its Citadel rising steeply above the surrounding countryside. The impressive bastions command a superb view of the Island.
For centuries the Citadel served as a sanctuary from attack by Barbary corsairs and Saracens. At several times in Gozo's history, its population was taken into slavery by these raiders. When the threat subsided after the Great Siege, a prosperous town grew up below the Citadel.
Victoria is not just the geographic heart of Gozo, it is also the centre of everyday activity. It manages to combine the bustle of its market and shops with a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. It is a great place to watch the Islanders go about their day, especially when the main market square, It-Tokk, comes to life.
Browse around Victoria's market and narrow winding streets and you'll find everything from delicious fresh produce, cheeses and wines, to antiques, craft goods, fishing nets and knitwear. The town also has a thriving cultural life all its own, with some surprising attractions ranging from opera to horse races in the main street on festa day.
Isle of Comino
Between Malta and Gozo lies Comino, a paradise for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and walkers. The Isle’s Blue Lagoon, with its safe bathing in turquoise waters, makes an idyllic day out by boat.
Comino is worth a visit all year round. In winter, it is ideal for walkers and photographers. Without urban areas, or cars, you can pick up the scent of wild thyme and other herbs. Cumin still grows here, self-seeded from the time it was cultivated. With the clear warm seas, water sports enthusiasts will find Comino paradise. The isle has some excellent dive sites.
Gardens
Mediterranean gardens are a delightful blend of scent and riotous colour and the classical formality of statues and fountains. Across the Islands, hidden behind palaces, in courtyards and over the walls of even the most humble village farmhouse, are gardens.
Some are simple orchards of oranges and lemons, others are baroque folly. Some house exotic cacti and vibrant bougainvillea while others are Mediterranean kitchen gardens planted with thyme, basil, coriander and rosemary.
Gardens are not perhaps what you would associate with an island where the climate is characterised by long hot summers and comparatively little rainfall. But there is a surprising abundance of attractive public and palace gardens across the Maltese Islands.
Many are the legacy of the Knights of St John who needed space and shade for recreation. Coming from across Europe where garden design was a serious study, the Knights had the greatest influence on the planting of many of the Islands' gardens. The best known is at San Anton Palace in Attard. The garden houses an infinite number of special trees and is a wonderful backdrop to the palace itself. Buskett Forest also owes its origins to the Knights who had it planted and then stocked with wild boar from France. It was their main hunting ground.
Several of their gardens, such as Upper and Lower Baracca Gardens in Valletta, are situated on Malta's historic bastions and have the added bonus of offering visitors spectacular sea and harbour views. Some are to be found in the heart of our towns and villages and provide a green oasis of tranquillity among the buildings.
All public gardens can be reached by public transport. Many have cafes and kiosks for refreshments, toilet facilities and in some cases, also have children's playgrounds. Nearly all gardens are wheelchair-friendly. |
|
Register
Log in
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
