On the small island of Malta, there are plenty of cute charismatic cities. The best thing is to go by walk from a place to another and enjoy the relaxed life of the narrow streets. In the evening, they get even calmer.
My absolute favorite cities in Malta are the capital Valletta, the old capital Mdina and a bit different Mosta. The common thing for these three is the rich and powerful history and the amazing atmosphere. Outside the season, they are like silent towns. Enjoyable places for a person who wants to wander and wonder around.
Valletta – capital charming
The Maltese capital Valletta is getting into the shape to be the cultural capital of Europe in 2018. I enjoy of going to Valletta cafes to read the newspaper of the day. Just because it is entertaining. I wouldn’t say that the Maltese newspapers are objective. If someone has been messing around it is certain that his/her name and date of birth come up. The news is also written in a funny conservative way. There surely is drama in Mediterranean Malta. Anyway, my favorite cafes to go are Piadina Caffe and Gugar – they are so down-to-earth you might be sitting on the stairs of the declining streets. In Valletta, it’s also nice to do some small shopping. There is just a right amount of the boutiques – you won’t get tired. Besides the main street Triq ir-Repubblika, there are stores on the side streets. But the best of bests is definitely the sunglasses store Solaris.
In the evening time, it is quite nice to sip wine in these beautiful alleys of Valletta. Let the live music guide your way. Valletta Waterfront is a nice place to spend the summer evening in the restaurant. Just make sure you know where to go. In Malta, it’s not worth taking a risk to go randomly somewhere. In that case, food might be shitty. Luckily there are so many good restaurants that you won’t have time to experience them all! Have to come again!
Let’s not forget the cultural aspects of Valletta. All the visual persons appreciate the architecture of the capital. A lovely garden with the view lays in Barrakka Gardens. The exhibitions, plays, and musicals are changing but what stands there all the time is, for example, the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, which is full of gold from the floor to the roof. There is also the famous painting of the maestro, Caravaggio. The Beheading of Saint John has the colors to admire. In Valletta, you can also experience Malta 5D which is quite something!
Mosta – Verona of Malta
That’s something that I invented myself, Mosta being Verona of Malta. But it definitely gets too little attention. I usually go there during the Christmas because it has the nicest Christmas decorations of Malta (even locating in the Mediterranean Malta is really a Christmas island, the Christmas season is beautiful with all the decorations and the Christmassy atmosphere) – but I should go more often. The Rotunda Church has one of the largest domes in the world, and there happened a miracle in there! During the Second World War, a bomb came through the dome, and there were 300 people waiting for the evening mass. But the bomb didn’t explode, and the people didn’t die, nor the church blow up. That is quite a miracle.
By the Rotunda on the main street, it is nice to walk along and pop by in the local small businesses. I once bought an Italian purse and once I found a label bikinis on a great sale. On the side roads, there are small places for an aperitif.
A special romantic, Romeo and Juliet type of experience is to book a little private balcony in advance and go and enjoy an unforgettable dinner at Lord Nelson – at an old traditional Maltese family run restaurant. They have good food and the service – the Mosta friendliness – one of the best in Malta. Pull the curtain to cover your own cute spot and admire each other and the beautiful street view. It’s a lovely setting.
Mdina – who you gonna call!?
Of all the silent cities Mdina is the most ghostly one. It’s good to dial the Ghostbusters number beforehand. I never get bored with this city even though I have taken many of my guests here many times: been there, seen that over and over again. That peace, the birds singing and the slowly falling night with the warm colors are just something every time. The middle ages can be sensed when walking around the same streets that the Maltese knights And !Russell Crowe! were sometimes stepping on. Yeah, charismatic Russell shot the Gladiator in front of the Mdina Cathedral back in the days. Too bad I wasn’t there yet to send the fan mail with the pigeons – like in the old Mdina times…
