Malta - Steeped in History
Updated: May 28, 2023
Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean - what is might lack in size, it more than makes up for in beauty and history!
In 2012, we took our first cruise (won't be our last). We spent 18 glorious days in the Mediterranean Sea (we also were in the Atlantic Ocean for a couple of days to go to Morocco...stories for another blog). There are many places I loved, and you will hear more about, from this trip, but Malta is high on the list.
Malta is a small, island country in the Mediterranean Sea that lies south of Italy. It is one of the world's smallest most densely populated countries with just over ½ million people on an island that is only just over 300km2 in size.
Strategic Importance
Malta's location in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French and British, have ruled the islands.
We visited the main island and docked in the port of Valetta, the capital city. Malta has a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers. It was over 40 degrees Celsius that day, so we had intended to walk around the walled city, but it just was too hot. We decided to go on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour instead.
Tour Bussing Around the Island
The bus tour took us around the northeastern portion of the island, past beautiful seaside vistas and quaint communities. We decided to hop-off the bus at one stop – the Ta’ Qali Crafts Village which is near the centre of the island. It is located in the former Royal Air Force (RAF) wartime airfield where different kinds of crafts and beautiful artefacts are sold created by local experts. You can watch the craftsmen blowing and forming glass, visit the goldsmiths filigree and beautiful jewelry and have a look at the beautiful sculptures and lace.
What is Malta known for?
Malta is known for the Maltese Falcon movie and the Maltese Cross but Malta is also known for its beautiful blown glass and colourful pottery. I did buy a very delicate silver filagree Maltese Cross and it is one of my favourite jewelry pieces I own. Filigree is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewelry and other small forms of metalwork. In jewelry, it is usually of gold and silver, made with tiny beads or twisted threads, or both in combination, soldered together or to the surface of an object of the same metal and arranged in artistic motifs.
I hope to go back to Valetta and Malta as a whole to explore and learn more about the Knights that occupied the city for many years and see if I can discover some of their secrets. But for now, pictures will have to remind me of the treasures of Malta. And I hope these photos also give you the travel bug to visit Malta.
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