David Shoulder - Isle of Wight

A first time visit to Malta. There for just a week. Expectation is just to be somewhere different - some sightseeing - some walking and or cycling and hopefully a Med swim - with everything underpinned with local food and street culture. My usual approach - buy a guide book - do some googling and make a plan. I am with my friend Jo and am very happy to defer but we usually have similar ideas. First stop Valletta - the capital city of Malta. However before I write about Valletta a bit about Malta gleaned from the internet. In no particular order here are some bullet points :-

Malta is part of an archipelago consisting of a number of islands but only the three largest are inhabited.
They are made of uplifted sedimentary rocks of which limestone is very evident.
Malta the largest of the 3 islands is a bit smaller in area than the Isle of Wight but it has more than 3 times the population at over 500000 people. Consequently Malta is the 9th most densely populated country in the world and many describe it as just one urban area.
The religion is mainly Roman Catholic.
The main language is Maltese - which is 80% Arabic in origin and the rest a mix of Italian and English. English is widely spoken.
Malta has a torrid history not least because of it's strategic position in the western Mediterranean. It has been occupied and ruled by foreigners throughout it's history
Malta was ruled by the British from 1814. In 1964 it became an independent country and in 1974 Malta became a Republic.
Malta played a vital role. for the allies in the second world war as a British base. Consequently it was bombed heavily by the Italians and Germans. After the war Britain awarded Malta the George Cross as an acknowledgement of the nations bravery and the George Cross symbol now forms part of the Maltese flag.
Malta has a strong strategic position between Europe and Africa and it was further enhanced by the opening of the Suez Canal. So shipping is vitally important.
However Malta has no natural resources. It imports all its fuel including all the gas needed to produce it's electricity. Solar development has meant almost 10% is now generated from renewables.
60% of Malta's water needs comes from ground water. The rest comes from desalination plants or is imported.
Malta can only produce 20% of it's own food. The rest is imported.
How does Malta pay for it all ? Tourism and ex pat migration to Malta. The export of limestone. Modern technologies. Shipping. The film industry
Malta has strong ties with Britain. Many British ex pats live in Malta. The Maltese drive on the left. Their electric plugs are the same as ours. Their parliamentary and judicial system is based on the British system.

Ok enough general stuff.

Valletta. Valletta is the capital city of Malta. But it is the world's smallest capital city - just 6000 people. In 1984 the whole city was designated a World Heritage Site. It attracts over 2m visitors per year. Why ?

Well Valletta is a walled city - massive limestone walls built by the christian The Knights of St John in an attempt to keep out the islamic Ottoman Turks. It overlooks 2 natural harbours and the city is built mainly in the Baroque style. It has many churches and many museums. The narrow streets created by the old tall buildings are very atmospheric.

However because of it's strategic position and it's heroic support for Britain and the allies during the war Valletta took a terrible pounding from the Germans and Italians. Much was destroyed.

After the war many Maltese emigrated to the UK, America and Australia and the population dropped. A hardcore remained in Valletta but to a certain level Valletta was almost abandoned by the Maltese. However it's fine setting and wonderful buildings earned it both a World Heritage site designation in 1980 and European City of Culture in 2018. On the strength of this Valletta was repaired and re-established. It is now a major tourist attraction but remains under populated because it is quite a difficult place to live - with difficult parking and tall Baroque buildings that are not practical for lift installation. Apparently the majority of people that work in Valletta commute in each day from the suburbs.

This is my take on Valletta itself. Valletta is undoubtedly a city worth visiting. Its situation with major harbours either side - its massive ramparts and walls - its narrow streets (set out on a grid formation to encourage air flow) and its tall baroque buildings in mellow limestone and often colourful balconies make up somewhere unique. There is also the strong British influence - in some ways home from home. All the street furniture and markings are no different from the UK and police uniforms and police cars are identical. Valletta is regarded too for its museums, its large number of churches and its staircases - steps (it is hilly - or at least steep coming up from the harbours particularly ). Shops are plentiful and restaurants and eateries and of course bars are everywhere.

But to be truthful I never really felt comfortable in Valletta despite everything it has to offer. My main problem is I felt claustrophobic. Valletta is a cruise port. There were several massive ships in while we were there. Of course their passengers make there way into Valletta in their droves. It is more than just people though. The streets are narrow. There are no views other than buildings unless you get to the perimeter and when you do the famed ramparts and walls make it very difficult to feel in touch with the world. I felt hemmed in. Other things too. Valletta feels set up for tourists and I prefer places that are more real - more lived in. My final whinge is the food. Malta only produces 20% of their own food so most is imported. The salads I had for instance were modest - not what you expect in the Med. However not to be churlish - the people are friendly, it feels safe - it is tidy - it has a momentous history. I am glad to have been there.

We now head for Gozo. 45 minutes by fast ferry from Valletta. Gozo is a much smaller island than Malta - its population about 35000. When referencing Gozo - invariably words like quiet, rural and dramatic are used. My take. It is certainly all those words compared to Malta - but Malta is urban and densely populated.

Gozo is a small island - Jo and I effectively cycled around it in a less than a day albeit on electric bikes. Gozo has plenty of hills. We also did a fair bit of coastal walking so I think we saw most of the island. As Malta - Gozo is a pretty arid place and gets very hot in the summer. We were their late October and it was still hot. There is limited vegetation only - not many trees. Farming is difficult - mainly a part time occupation - more like big allotments - small terraced fields separated by dry stone limestone walls. Malta imports 80% of its food and Gozo must be more.

I want to say I liked Gozo - the people are lovely - but like Malta I felt it was claustrophobic and limited. Maybe it was just my mindset - my expectation - but Gozo has so much bare rock - mainly monochrome which could be attractive - but it is littered by broken dry walls - and other stuff - and a lot of building all over the high promontories. There can also be a lot of traffic on the small roads and some vehicles are smelly. However my main problem is again despite being on an island, access to the sea because of the rugged and often cliff coastline is difficult - frustrating not to be able to easily find a place to swim for instance or even keep a boat. I must emphasise this is personal opinion. Several people whose opinions I respect have said how much they like Gozo - how nice it is. We talked to one lady who said she has found delight in focusing in on small beautiful things rather that focusing on the whole - so I don't know.

A couple of other things came up in general interest. Apparently the main source of work on Gozo is construction. There are a number of cranes on the skyline. Like in many isolated places there was a boom in property interest as a reaction to the COVID scare. Many apartments have been and are being built. The market has now turned and there is an over supply so maybe a bargain to be had. The other one was like the UK many citizens are losing their appetite for work - and are now importing cheap labour from abroad. This is putting a lot of pressure on population numbers and taxation demands.

We spent our last 36 hours back on Malta. We visited Mdina - a well preserved and attractive fortified ancient village. Adjacent is the town of Rabat. We particularly enjoyed it there - find the old narrow streets. We also got down to the coast to view the cliffs at Dingli. The are up to 250m high - made of chalky white limestone. Quite a sight against the dark sea.

So go to Malta and Gozo. They are not exclusive - prices are reasonable - and they are in the western Med so easy to get to. See what you think - but I would definitely avoid the high summer heat. Here are some mob photos :-

Valletta and Grand Harbour including the three cities