Before we knew it we had landed on the tiny island nation of Malta, home to around 400,000 people, which makes it the most densely populated country in the EU. The island of Malta is 14.7 NM or 28 kms long. There are two smaller islands in the group, Gozo and Comino (which is not inhabited). The capital is Valletta, a city that wraps around the excellent waterways of Valletta Harbour and the Grand Canal. As one guide eloquently stated in her introduction 'Malta is geographically situated at the end of Europe, but is strategically placed at the centre!'
The story of Malta can be traced back to around 4000BC when late Stone Age man arrived in unseaworthy vessels from Sicily, bringing with them domestic animals, pottery, bags of seed and flint implements. These people found a heavily vegetated land and set about building a new settlement that after about 200 years included the building of large stone temples. Around 1800BC the empire builders disappeared and subsequently Bronze-age and Iron-age warriors arrived and settled. The Phoenicians arrived around 8000BC attracted by Malta's fine natural harbours, they gained a foothold and gradually integrated. The Phoenicians did venture inland, and the local weaving industry found a wider export market. The Romans invaded in 218BC but the Maltese were treated more as allies than conquered people. The Romans built the city of Melita as well as another city on the island of Gozo. Christianity arrived via St Paul in 60AD and he is known to have stayed 3 months and sowed the foundations of Christianity to which the Maltese people adhere. By 870AD, the Arabs had conquered Malta and introduced cultivation of cotton, which was a mainstay of the Maltese economy for several centuries. In 1090AD the Norman Conquest took place and after the last Norman king died, the new masters of the Maltese Islands came from the ruling houses of Germany, France, and Spain.
In 1530AD the Knights of St John were offered the island of Malta as a home by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. The Knights had wandered for seven years after being exiled from Rhodes. The order could be described as multi-national, divided into 'Languages' according to their nationality. However In 1565AD the Great Siege took place, when the OttomanTurks and their allies attacked Malta voraciously with vastly superior numbers of troops. The Turks landed unopposed and seized Fort Elmo, but only after 31 days of heroic resistance by the Knights. Subjected to ceaseless attack, the Christian forces kept the Turks at bay until a relief force of eight thousand troops arrived from Sicily. The Maltese people were able to drive back the Turks and so save themselves.
When the Knights of St John made Malta their home, for the first time the rulers of the Maltese lived on the island itself and this meant wealth was brought to the island instead of being extracted. However, by the end of the 18th century the order was deteriorating and poverty was widespread. In France, the Republican government was taking over the Order's possessions and Napoleon captured Malta in June 1798 without any resistance. He marched into Valletta and although the Maltese felt let down by the Order who fled the island, and the Bishop persuaded the Maltese people to submit. Napoleon only stayed six days, but he ordered the stripping of the palaces and churches of everything of value.
The Maltese then turned to the King of Sicily for aid and protection, but also representations were made to the King's allies, the British. The British were mostly interested in keeping the French out, rather than possession of Malta and in 1814, the island was declared a British possession. The military worth of Malta and its islands was demonstrated during the Crimean War and World War 1 involved Malta as a harbour and dock facilities to the Allied Navies. Additionally Malta contributed during wartime for the evacuation of sick and wounded soldiers. In 1921 Malta was granted self government, with the British retaining control over Defence, Foreign Affairs and Immigration. However, Malta reverted to colonial rule in 1931 when there was political unrest and the constitution was suspended. World War 2 was the second Great Siege and saw major hardship for the Maltese as it came under attack, but their bravery was rewarded with the St George Cross Medal in April 1942. Independence was achieved in 1964, Malta became a Republic in 1974 and in 2004, Malta became a member of the European Union.
All this means that Malta has plenty to offer the visitor. We visited the pre-historic temple site at Hagar Qim which predates Stonehenge, the Fort of St Elmo and the excellent National War Museum housed within its walls, the magnificent La Co-Catedral de San Juan which is austere outside and beyond description on the inside, and Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, which was both an underground burial place for around 7000 people and a temple where fertility rights took place. We also visited the inland ancient capital of Mdina, a beautifully preserved city, with attractive limestone buildings. A trip to the Blue Grotto was quite spectacular. Set at the bottom of steep cliffs, the series of caves are reached in small boats, where the water is an incredibly intense blue.
Another highlight was seeing the Caravaggio work 'The Beheading of St John the Baptiste' which is known for its visual composition, dramatic palette and blend of spectacle and piety. It is also the only work Caravaggio signed. Another Caravaggio 'St Jerome' was equally striking and was mounted on the opposite wall.....what a treat!
We mastered the local bus system and hurtled our way around the island. The buses were usually early and we know why! One very memorable trip had us on a slalom ride out in the fields with the bus alarm sounding every twist in the road because the driver seemed to be determined to break all speed records and using the brakes was not his style! We made a day trip to Gozo which has plenty of history of its own. Some enormous churches stand out on the landscape, but we opted for a continuous bus tour of the island intercepted by a delicious seafood lunch right on the sea wall at Xlendi.
Malta is fascinating. The architecture is quite unique, with all buildings made of soft yellow coloured sandstone, mostly heritage green painted shutters, and enclosed verandah boxes; the people are diverse in appearance but often short in stature, with olive skin and dark hair; the Maltese language has strong connections to Arabic but everyone seems to speak English; the food naturally has it's own specialities, with rabbit a popular main dish and 'Maltese' salad consisting of balls of flavoured sheep cheese, rich red tomatoes, mixed lettuce leaves, pickled onions and gherkins, olives and a bean pâté, served with little disc shaped Maltese crackers. The summer fruit has been plentiful, with strawberries being unbelievable delicious. Our strong impression is that most of the fresh food is imported, as there seemed to be minimal crop production, except for green house tomatoes, and not one animal was visible in the fields. A taxi driver told us that animals are raised indoors and hand fed, as the temperatures were too hot!