Malta and the Boys with the Doblo

MALTA AND THE BOYS WITH THE DOBLO… Before starting my diary, I greet and thank all the readers; let's start with the title (THE BOYS WITH THE DOBLO): there are 7 of us and from Naples we arrive in Malta on 17.06.2019, where we will spend a week; to get around we have rented a Fiat Doblo, naturally with the steering wheel on the right and driving reversed compared to ours…. There will be laughs… We arrive at Malta International Airport, the only one on the island, a few kilometres from Valletta; after dealing with the rental formalities we head to our hotel, located in San Gwann, only 15 minutes by car from Valletta, we settle our luggage in the room and are ready for our first evening in Malta.

Having no information about the various areas of Malta, we move around a bit at random and reach the town of San Giuliano (San Giljan), which is in reality one with Valletta; in this area of Malta, when you move around you change town without noticing, San Giuliano, Swieqi, San Giovanni, Msida, Hamrun, Tarxien, Paola, Vittoriosa, Cospicua and many others are in fact a single urban agglomeration. Coming back to San Giuliano, we can say that this town is known for its beaches, like those of Balluta Bay (in reality a few metres of sand with a concrete flight of steps behind, I'd say truly ugly); overlooking Spinola Bay stands the Spinola Palace in Baroque style, characterised by a clock carved on the facade. Along the seafront there are lots of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

I can't give a judgement on the nightclubs but I can advise you to choose your restaurant carefully; many leave something to be desired, they are crowded and with poor food and service. After dinner we return to the hotel. The following morning we go to Valletta; we park our Doblo just outside the walls and, before crossing them, we admire the Triton Fountain. It consists of three bronze tritons supporting a large basin, balanced on a concentric base built of concrete and clad in travertine slabs. Crossing the bridge that allows us to get over the moat, we enter the old city and immediately on the right is the Maltese Parliament, designed by Renzo Piano, a modern building but well integrated into the architectural context of the historic centre. We continue along the main street and on our left we find the Auberge de Provence, an old building used as the National Museum of Archaeology.

In the museum there are prehistoric finds from the Maltese islands dating to a time span between the Għar Dalam period (5200 BC), when the first human settlements on the island occurred, and the Tarxien period (2500 BC). The star piece among all the exhibits is the Sleeping Lady, a find discovered in the Hal Saflieni hypogeum. We leave the museum and, a few metres away on the opposite side, we visit for 10 euros the Co-Cathedral of St John the Baptist, patron of the Knights Hospitaller, an order formed of nobles from the most important European families, committed to protecting the Catholic faith and Europe from the attacks of the Ottoman Turks. The members of the Order are divided into Knights, Chaplains and Sergeants-at-arms under the authority of a Grand Master Prince.

Seeing this cathedral from the outside, you cannot imagine the richness within, but as soon as you enter you are enveloped by a concentration of beauty. The Cathedral, together with the historic centre of Valletta, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980. The building has a basilical plan with a main nave 15 metres wide and 53 metres long, and two side naves supported by twelve pillars. The works present are countless, including two works by Caravaggio and others by Mattia Preti. The floor too is astonishing, made up of no fewer than 405 tombstones created as marble panels; the richly inlaid slabs bear heraldic symbols, dedications, inscriptions, religious motifs, military insignia and naval trophies.

Along both sides are arranged the ten intercommunicating chapels; eight of them are dedicated to the main nationalities and languages spoken by the Knights, the areas of the French, Italian, German and Aragonese communities, the latter being the most numerous and important, they are located closer to the altar and display the magnificence of their respective states. After the Cathedral we visit the Armoury and the rooms of the palace and finally Fort St Elmo, inside which is the War Museum, which collects weapons ranging from the Bronze Age to 2004 (the year Malta joined the European community). We retrace our steps and leave the centre of Valletta. We return to the hotel and spend a few hours in the pool before dinner. On our third day in Malta we go to Vittoriosa, one of the three famous cities of Malta (the other two are Cospicua and Senglea).

In Vittoriosa we visit the Inquisitor's Palace, one of the very few surviving palaces of its kind; the construction of the palace dates back to 1530, but over the centuries there have been many modifications and extensions; today inside you can visit many rooms of the period such as the kitchens and the prisons, as well as the tribunal where sentences were handed down and the inquisitor's private rooms such as the bedroom. We leave the Inquisitor's Palace and go to the Maritime Museum, which houses a unique collection of over 20,000 exhibits, including some unique artefacts such as the largest Roman anchor. After the Maritime Museum we reach Fort St Angelo, one of the forts most intensely involved in shaping the fate of Malta. The site attracted attention already in antiquity, particularly after the colonisation of the islands by the Phoenicians.

In 1274 Fort St Angelo, or Castrum Maris (Castle of the Sea) as it was known at the time, consisted of two fortified enclosures with round towers at regular intervals. After 1530 it became the headquarters of the Order of St John and even housed the Grand Master's residence. Over the years there were many works of extension and fortification of the Fort; in 1565, during the Great Siege, it played a fundamental defensive role, coordinating the defensive strategies day after day; it devastated the Ottoman batteries and ruined the besiegers' plan to attack Senglea on 15 July. The Fort also played fundamental roles in the First and Second World Wars; in 1906 the Mediterranean fleets of the Royal Navy transferred their command centre to the Fort and left it only in March 1979. (practically the day before yesterday).

It is now lunchtime; we would like to stop at some restaurant, but you should know that in Malta all sites and museums close at 5 pm, so a quick sandwich and we continue towards the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground structure dug between about 3600 BC and 2500 BC. It is thought that it was originally a sanctuary, which became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world; it was discovered by chance in 1902, when some workers who were cutting cisterns for new dwellings broke through its ceiling. The first level closely resembles the tombs discovered at Xemxija. Some rooms are in reality natural caves artificially enlarged; from scientific examinations it has been learned that the first level is the oldest.

The second level was created when the ancient builders decided that the first was no longer sufficient; this level is only 10 metres below street level and shows excellent skills in stone carving; at this level you can observe important rooms, such as the main room, the Holy of Holies, the Oracle Room and the Snake Pit, a hole two metres high that may have been used to keep snakes, or to collect alms. Finally the third level, which is assumed to have been used as a storeroom, probably for wheat. A very important note: if you want to visit this Hypogeum you must book well in advance; entry is allowed only by reservation, to just 60 visitors a day.

After the visit to this spectacular site we return to the hotel to freshen up and be ready for the evening; we decide to find a better place to eat and logic suggests Marsa Scirocco (Marsaxlokk), a fishing village located in the south-east of the island around the bay of the same name. Marsaxlokk literally means Port of the Sirocco and, with its very colourful boats, it is one of the most characteristic ports of the whole island, as well as being the richest in catch; in particular swordfish, tuna and dolphinfish are caught in abundance in the period between spring and autumn. During the week the catch is sold in Valletta, while on Sundays directly at the port. So all that remains is to try this fish in a seafront restaurant that was recommended to us; expectations were met: paccheri with seafood, tuna and the catch of the day, plus a very good Sicilian cannolo, are our dinner.

Satisfied, we return to the hotel. In a flash we are already halfway through the holiday; today our destination is the island of Gozo. We set off earlier than usual from our hotel and reach, with some difficulty due to traffic, the port of Cirkewwa, where an incessant ferry service shuttles between the main island and Gozo. Having arrived on the island of Gozo after a crossing of only 20 minutes, we begin our visits with the Museum of Archaeology in the citadel of Victoria. The museum is housed in a 17th-century house originally known as Casa Bondi; it is a two-storey building with an austere symmetrical facade and a carved stone balcony above the entrance door.

The museum opened in 1960 as the first public museum in Gozo; today it is known as the Gozo Museum of Archaeology or the National Museum of Archaeology and presents archaeological finds covering the cultural history of the island of Gozo from the prehistoric era to the modern period. We move a few metres and visit the Gran Castello Historic House; this museum is housed in a group of medieval houses in Bernardo DeOpuo Street and hosts a wide range of displays illustrating the local, rural and traditional way of life; these houses dating back to the 1600s were adapted to this function in 1983. Adjacent to the Gran Castello are the Old Prison; the prison complex is divided into two different buildings: the atrium, which had been a common cell in the 19th century, and an independent block with six individual cells. The prison complex remained active until 1962.

Before leaving the Citadel we visit the Natural History Museum, also housed in three connected 1600s domestic buildings. The museum's collection is spread over two floors; on the ground floor are represented Geology, minerals, human and animal evolution and the marine life of Malta; in the museum there is a small moon rock brought to Earth by the crew of Apollo 2 and donated to the Maltese people by President Nixon. The upper floor is dedicated to the flora and fauna of the island; in the small garden behind are typical indigenous plants, including the Maltese rock centaury, Malta's national plant. We leave the Citadel and reach the Ggantija temples at Xaghra, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Maltese islands. The site consists of two temples dating between 3600 and 3200 BC.

The name Ggantija comes from ggant, a Maltese word meaning Giants, as the site is associated with a race of giants. The temples are in excellent condition; this is due to the hard coralline limestone used for the outer walls, while the much softer Globigerina limestone was used for the furnishings, altars and decorative slabs. The remains of animal bones suggest that rituals involving their sacrifice were performed in these temples. There are many stone hearths and many libation holes in the floor that may have been used for pouring liquid offerings. We leave this magnificent archaeological site and reach our last destination in Gozo, namely the Ta Kola Windmill, one of the few windmills surviving on the Maltese islands. The name Ta Kola is probably linked to the name of the last miller, known as Zeppu (Giuseppe) ta Kola (son of Nikola).

On the ground floor of the mill you can observe the workshop rooms containing a wide range of tools, while on the first floor are the miller's quarters, furnished with traditional furniture and objects linked to Gozo craftsmanship. We leave the Mill and also the island of Gozo, setting course for our hotel, but at the usual point, the usual traffic: unfortunately, to reach the port of Cirkewwa and to return towards Valletta there is a single road (road 1) with two-way traffic, but in certain points it is only two metres wide and the jam is inevitable; in any case we reach our hotel in the expected time (more or less) and spend the evening in the historic centre of Valletta. We have been in Malta for five days and still haven't had a swim, so today we devote it to relaxing on the beach. Malta does not have many beaches; the coast is mostly jagged.

We reach Golden Bay Beach in the locality of Mellieha, in the north-west of Malta. Here there are three beaches side by side, separated by mountain spurs; the first, Golden Bay itself, is the largest but very crowded, so we choose the second, reachable after going down (and then having to climb back up) 186 steps; the beach is smaller than the first but quieter; finally, the third beach is a little cove reachable by boat or after a very long walk among the hills. We stay on the beach until 17.00 (the parasol and sunbed rental service closes at 18.00), then return to the hotel. For this day we had booked a catamaran excursion already from Italy, so we reach the port of Bugibba; our tour starts from this locality.

We arrive earlier than planned and, before boarding, we visit the Malta National Aquarium; the aquarium isn't very big but is well made, the structure is new and well kept, and inside there are also a bar/restaurant and a souvenir shop. Once our visit to the aquarium is over, we reach the boarding point, get aboard our catamaran and set sail. Sailing along the coast we admire the wonderful cliffs of Malta, the bays and the beautiful inlets, reachable only by boat; we skirt the little island of St Paul's, where the statue of the apostle stands. Our first stop is at the spectacular Crystal Lagoon and, as soon as they give us the go-ahead, we begin a series of dives into crystal-clear water; after about an hour and a half we set off again to reach the more famous Blue Lagoon (crowded).

Having moored the catamaran, we reach the small beach and plunge into turquoise waters; here too we stay for about an hour and a half, then, once dry, we explore the island of Comino with a small organised tour; finally, around 17.00 we set off again for Bugibba. For the evening we decide to go back to that Sicilian restaurant in Marsaxlokk, but when we get to the place they tell us there's no room; being Saturday you had to book, and indeed the little town is swarming with people, (we book for Sunday) we opt for another restaurant we had already spotted earlier; being much bigger, perhaps we'll be lucky, and indeed even though we wait half an hour we manage to have dinner, and a good one too. Last full day at our disposal; we have followed almost to the letter the programme we had set ourselves.

For this last day we still have to see the old capital of Malta, namely Mdina, a small city enclosed within the walls, by now almost uninhabited; but a whole day is a lot, so we decide to relax for a few hours in our hotel's spa and around 12.00 we set off for Mdina. We begin our round of visits from Rabat, the modern town outside the walls, and visit the Catacombs of St Paul. These Catacombs are located outside Mdina because Roman law forbade burials inside the city. This site represents the first and largest archaeological testimony of Christianity in Malta. The complex is divided into two large areas in which more than 30 hypogea are scattered; the main complex comprises a system of interconnecting underground passages and tombs and covers over 2000 square metres.

We leave this site and continue towards Mdina; right at the gates of the walls is the Domus Romana, a small museum built around the remains of a Roman aristocratic house discovered by chance in 1881; in this museum we observe many artefacts from the Roman era, including some beautiful mosaics. We leave the Domus and enter the city of Mdina; immediately on the right, in a 1700s Baroque-style palace, is the National Museum of Natural History, inaugurated in 1973; the various areas of the museum cover various subjects such as Maltese geology and palaeontology; exotic mammals, insects, shells and birds are exhibited. There is also a room dedicated to the skeletal anatomy of vertebrates and one dedicated to minerals.

We leave the Natural History Museum and make our way through the narrow streets of the city, which I personally would call a ghost town; indeed, except on the main street there is not a living soul, and given the hour (only 18.00) the souvenir shops are getting ready to close. We go to the cathedral of St Paul; the church was built on the spot where the governor Publius is said to have met Saint Paul after the shipwreck of the vessel carrying him to Rome on the coasts of the island of Malta. In adjacent premises that served as a seminary there is now a museum where collections of coins, liturgical silver, religious vestments and some woodcuts are displayed.

With the visit to the cathedral our stay in Mdina ends; our stomach reminds us that for the evening we have an appointment at 21.00, so we return to the hotel and, after the purifying shower, we head again to Marsa Scirocco, where our Sicilians await us. We couldn't conclude our holidays in Malta with an excellent dinner and a feeling of home. I should say that when I travel I prefer to immerse myself in the everyday life of the place and look for typical food, but here in Malta there isn't a real cuisine of its own; the only dish present on every menu in Malta is rabbit, which frankly isn't my strong point. We say goodbye to our Sicilian friends and return to the hotel, where we spend our last night in Malta.

We are at the end of our adventure on this small island; with our Doblo we have travelled far and wide, visiting as much as possible; now it is time to head to the airport, where we hand back our vehicle, simply leaving it in the car park and depositing the keys in a box at the airport desk; once this is done we board and, from above, give a final farewell to Malta and to all the Maltese.