Free Lemons and Fat Ladies in Sicily and Malta
Apr 20th, 2011, 05:41 AM
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Siracusa and Ragusa
Siracusa has always been a glorious city, from ancient times till now, located here in the southeastern corner of Sicily. The city was once the most important in the Western world eclipsing Corinth and even Athens. We are staying in the old part of town that is actually a tiny island (5 football fields wide and under a mile long), called Ortigia (pronounced: oar-TEE-jee-a). This is the city that Anne has always dreamed of seeing. Of all the places we have visited in Sicily, Ortigia is the most magical.
When we left Catania, we had a perfect plan to take the bus to Siracusa and arrived at the bus station with time to spare. However, when we tried to buy our bus tickets, the abrupt clerk said, “No bus today; strike.” A man of few words, but his message was loud and crystal clear: no bus was going to take us to Siracusa today! Now what? Fortunately, I had read in my travel research that the trains also run to Siracusa, and the station was only a few blocks away. Only one lingering question: are the trains also on strike today? When we hustled over there, we got lucky; the bus strike was not connected to the trains. We had transportation!!
We lost a few hours since the trains do not run as frequently – but we made good use of our time, working on our trip reports (love that Netbook!) as we sat in the station awaiting the train arrival. Strikes are infamous in Italy, so it was inevitable that one would catch up with us.
Back to the dreamy ambience of Ortigia. The buildings on this island are totally made of an old world style stonework that exudes grace and elegance and reminds us of Venice sans the canals. Many of these structures are former palaces with elaborate stone carvings decorating the windows and hundreds of different styles of wrought iron balconies. This is a place I may never want to leave.
The Piazza di Duomo may be the most beautiful plaza in all of Sicily – a huge open expanse with a Duomo (domed church,) covered with statues, that turns a brilliant sparkly cream color in the glow of the late afternoon sun. This area was once the acropolis of the Greek town, and the Duomo (with some Greek columns still visible) was once the Temple of Minerva. Other Greek remains include the Temple to Apollo with its Norman arched window reminding us that Christian churches often incorporated the earlier temples into their own walled structures (which is why so many of the ancient buildings have survived).
One of the most unusual sights was the Bagno Ebraico, the Hebrew ritual baths. The ritual baths were sacred places fed by natural spring waters where Jewish men would bathe before entering the Synagogue, and Jewish women would bathe before their weddings, after childbirth, and after each menstrual period. These baths date back to 75 AD, and were used until 1492, when the Jews were expelled from Sicily. At that time, the stairs to the baths were blocked with rubble by fleeing Jews to hide and protect them. No one knew the baths even existed until 1991 when renovations at the hotel next door revealed the old subterranean stairway.
The baths themselves are not terribly attractive, but are a fascinating place to visit with the undeniable mystique of a finding a secret place that had been hidden for over 500 years. The outer room contains three baths for the women, and private baths on each side, hewn out of solid rock for the men. Each bath was entered by climbing down several steps, and a special prayer was associated with each step.
We spent a day in the larger and newer part of the city of Siracusa to see the 60-acre Archaeological Park and the nearby Museum. The Greek theater was quite large and impressive and very well preserved; in its heyday, the bleachers held nearly 20,000 Greek theatergoers. The Roman Arena at the other corner of the archeological digs was also quite interesting. The arena was mostly in ruins (because many of the stone blocks were used to build Ortigia), but we could still easily see the elliptical shape of the arena, and the deep rectangular dugout in the arena’s center that was used to clean up the blood and gore after gladiatorial combat.
That brings up an interesting dichotomy between the Romans and the Greeks – they both built arenas to put on “shows” for the entertainment of their people. The Romans put on shows of death and destruction, one gladiator killing another; while the Greeks put on stage shows and theatrical performances with only fake murders and killings. Yet each faction could be equally vicious in battle.
We also saw the ruins of the altar “Ara di Ierone II” which was the largest altar of its kind in the world. The Greeks once slaughtered 450 bulls on this altar during an annual feast and celebration.
But our favorite sight was an ear-shaped cavern some 75 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 200 feet deep down in the quarries, called “Orrechio di Dionisio” (the ear of Dionysius). The huge cavern was a remarkable echo chamber, and once inside, my DH was inspired to vocalize a few bars of the Verdi aria, “La donne è mobile”. A woman further inside the cavern (and out of our sight) responded with the next few bars of the same aria! Over the next 15 minutes or so, we heard several tourists going into and out of the cave singing the same tune; they must have heard my DH and picked up the same idea. There is no living with him now –he is convinced that he is the next Pavarotti!
The nearby Archaeology Museum was a bit much for us with over 18,000 artifacts on display, most of them chards of pottery. However, the excellent Roman sculptures (copies of the Greek) exquisitely carved in the sparkling local limestone gave us an idea of how the people who used to walk these streets would have looked.
On the human interest front, we met a delightful family with two little boys named Raimondo and Raul (9 and 6 year’s old) in a little café. My DH got them going with some high fives and some picture-taking fun, but it was clear that neither boy could figure out why we didn’t understand what they were saying. After we left the restaurant, Raimondo came running after us – with my DH’s sunglasses in his hand!
On our last day, we took a boat ride around the island and along the craggy cave-ridden coastline. We enjoyed splendid views from the water, and our boat captain Roberto steered us slowly into some grottos where newly formed orange coral contrasted with the emerald green water.
We are staying at Arethusa Vacanze in an ancient building with a gorgeous rooftop terrace where we eat breakfast every morning, overlooking the blue-green Ionian Sea amidst an expanse of terra cotta rooftops. We have a comfortable, roomy apartment (Sicily has some of the largest hotel rooms we have ever come across in Europe) with a romantic canopy bed and a small kitchen.
One day, we shopped at the outdoor market and created our very own Sicilian feast. We weren’t always sure what we were buying, but the shopping experience was priceless. We ended up with Spigola (sea bass), Tenerumi (white zucchini), a baked ricotta cheese still warm from the oven, sundried tomatoes in olive oil, a baggie of spices con pesce (spices especially blended for fish) that included the freshest smelling rosemary and oregano, an onion, and Finocchio (fennel).
We weren’t sure what to expect from the finocchio, but it was a great fresh additive with a slight licorice flavor when we chopped it up like an onion and added it to the mix. We had a blast buying, cooking, and trying new flavors – and with all those super fresh ingredients, the end result was fantastico!!
After 5 days here, Ortigia had captured my heart. My DH had to carry me out of Ortigia kicking and screaming, but we managed to move on to the hill town of “Ragusa Ibla” (old Ragusa). The entire town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, but it was completely rebuilt in the latest style of the time: Baroque.
The town’s most beautiful square surrounds the Duomo, and we are staying in an elegant townhouse right around the corner. Our room (a suite actually) at the Risveglia Ibleo B&B was immense with three rooms plus an enormous bathroom. We have a separate bedroom plus two living areas furnished with a TV, two more beds, and even a large upright piano! We can really spread out here – the big rooms are perfect for me to practice some Tai Chi!
Ragusa is actually divided into 2 towns: Ragusa the “modern” town, and Ragusa Ibla, the old town. Each is its own hill town, separated by a valley between. We took a bus to the upper “modern” town of Ragusa and followed a series of stone staircases back down here to the old town, where we are staying.
A young woman named Mona kindly helped us locate the staircase. She was taking her little boy for a ride in his stroller when she found us two “lost” Americans. She even asked me to watch her little boy for a few minutes while she ran into a shop. Once Mona walked us across town (or so it seemed) to the stairs we were searching for, we had a great hike past stunning Baroque churches and fantastic viewpoints of the old town of Ragusa Ibla.
Tomorrow, we say a sad arrivederci to Sicily and take an early ferry to the nearby island of Malta – a new place and an all new adventure. We will miss Sicilia; it has been our friendly home for the past 3 weeks!
A few more comments on Risveglia Ibleo B&B. This is a very elegant, old world kind of place. Our hosts here were the sweetest older couple -- she spoke some English, he very little. Breakfast was an amazing affair with bread baked in their ancient bread oven and many other homemade items like a yogurt (I think) made with grapes and delicious jams. Our host even drove us to Pozzallo for the ferry to Malta which was more than kind.
A word about public transportation. We really enjoyed traveling all over Sicily by bus and train and had no problems doing it. People were always more than helpful directing us to the right bus etc. As all Sicilians will tell you, the buses are very comfortable and go just about anywhere. The trains are more like old clunkers with new seats, but I love trains of all varieties, and the Sicilian ones were just fine. I love public transportation, and it was fun to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Closing thoughts on Sicily. I had wanted to visit Sicily for many years, so my expectations were pretty high, but Sicily went so far beyond what I expected. The ancient Greek sites, the ambience, the food -- all incredible. But the people are what make Sicily a must-visit place. We have visited alot of friendly places (Ireland and Thailand come to mind), but Sicily has a special genuine hospitality that you have to experience for yourself.
Malta coming up next!
Siracusa has always been a glorious city, from ancient times till now, located here in the southeastern corner of Sicily. The city was once the most important in the Western world eclipsing Corinth and even Athens. We are staying in the old part of town that is actually a tiny island (5 football fields wide and under a mile long), called Ortigia (pronounced: oar-TEE-jee-a). This is the city that Anne has always dreamed of seeing. Of all the places we have visited in Sicily, Ortigia is the most magical.
When we left Catania, we had a perfect plan to take the bus to Siracusa and arrived at the bus station with time to spare. However, when we tried to buy our bus tickets, the abrupt clerk said, “No bus today; strike.” A man of few words, but his message was loud and crystal clear: no bus was going to take us to Siracusa today! Now what? Fortunately, I had read in my travel research that the trains also run to Siracusa, and the station was only a few blocks away. Only one lingering question: are the trains also on strike today? When we hustled over there, we got lucky; the bus strike was not connected to the trains. We had transportation!!
We lost a few hours since the trains do not run as frequently – but we made good use of our time, working on our trip reports (love that Netbook!) as we sat in the station awaiting the train arrival. Strikes are infamous in Italy, so it was inevitable that one would catch up with us.
Back to the dreamy ambience of Ortigia. The buildings on this island are totally made of an old world style stonework that exudes grace and elegance and reminds us of Venice sans the canals. Many of these structures are former palaces with elaborate stone carvings decorating the windows and hundreds of different styles of wrought iron balconies. This is a place I may never want to leave.
The Piazza di Duomo may be the most beautiful plaza in all of Sicily – a huge open expanse with a Duomo (domed church,) covered with statues, that turns a brilliant sparkly cream color in the glow of the late afternoon sun. This area was once the acropolis of the Greek town, and the Duomo (with some Greek columns still visible) was once the Temple of Minerva. Other Greek remains include the Temple to Apollo with its Norman arched window reminding us that Christian churches often incorporated the earlier temples into their own walled structures (which is why so many of the ancient buildings have survived).
One of the most unusual sights was the Bagno Ebraico, the Hebrew ritual baths. The ritual baths were sacred places fed by natural spring waters where Jewish men would bathe before entering the Synagogue, and Jewish women would bathe before their weddings, after childbirth, and after each menstrual period. These baths date back to 75 AD, and were used until 1492, when the Jews were expelled from Sicily. At that time, the stairs to the baths were blocked with rubble by fleeing Jews to hide and protect them. No one knew the baths even existed until 1991 when renovations at the hotel next door revealed the old subterranean stairway.
The baths themselves are not terribly attractive, but are a fascinating place to visit with the undeniable mystique of a finding a secret place that had been hidden for over 500 years. The outer room contains three baths for the women, and private baths on each side, hewn out of solid rock for the men. Each bath was entered by climbing down several steps, and a special prayer was associated with each step.
We spent a day in the larger and newer part of the city of Siracusa to see the 60-acre Archaeological Park and the nearby Museum. The Greek theater was quite large and impressive and very well preserved; in its heyday, the bleachers held nearly 20,000 Greek theatergoers. The Roman Arena at the other corner of the archeological digs was also quite interesting. The arena was mostly in ruins (because many of the stone blocks were used to build Ortigia), but we could still easily see the elliptical shape of the arena, and the deep rectangular dugout in the arena’s center that was used to clean up the blood and gore after gladiatorial combat.
That brings up an interesting dichotomy between the Romans and the Greeks – they both built arenas to put on “shows” for the entertainment of their people. The Romans put on shows of death and destruction, one gladiator killing another; while the Greeks put on stage shows and theatrical performances with only fake murders and killings. Yet each faction could be equally vicious in battle.
We also saw the ruins of the altar “Ara di Ierone II” which was the largest altar of its kind in the world. The Greeks once slaughtered 450 bulls on this altar during an annual feast and celebration.
But our favorite sight was an ear-shaped cavern some 75 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 200 feet deep down in the quarries, called “Orrechio di Dionisio” (the ear of Dionysius). The huge cavern was a remarkable echo chamber, and once inside, my DH was inspired to vocalize a few bars of the Verdi aria, “La donne è mobile”. A woman further inside the cavern (and out of our sight) responded with the next few bars of the same aria! Over the next 15 minutes or so, we heard several tourists going into and out of the cave singing the same tune; they must have heard my DH and picked up the same idea. There is no living with him now –he is convinced that he is the next Pavarotti!
The nearby Archaeology Museum was a bit much for us with over 18,000 artifacts on display, most of them chards of pottery. However, the excellent Roman sculptures (copies of the Greek) exquisitely carved in the sparkling local limestone gave us an idea of how the people who used to walk these streets would have looked.
On the human interest front, we met a delightful family with two little boys named Raimondo and Raul (9 and 6 year’s old) in a little café. My DH got them going with some high fives and some picture-taking fun, but it was clear that neither boy could figure out why we didn’t understand what they were saying. After we left the restaurant, Raimondo came running after us – with my DH’s sunglasses in his hand!
On our last day, we took a boat ride around the island and along the craggy cave-ridden coastline. We enjoyed splendid views from the water, and our boat captain Roberto steered us slowly into some grottos where newly formed orange coral contrasted with the emerald green water.
We are staying at Arethusa Vacanze in an ancient building with a gorgeous rooftop terrace where we eat breakfast every morning, overlooking the blue-green Ionian Sea amidst an expanse of terra cotta rooftops. We have a comfortable, roomy apartment (Sicily has some of the largest hotel rooms we have ever come across in Europe) with a romantic canopy bed and a small kitchen.
One day, we shopped at the outdoor market and created our very own Sicilian feast. We weren’t always sure what we were buying, but the shopping experience was priceless. We ended up with Spigola (sea bass), Tenerumi (white zucchini), a baked ricotta cheese still warm from the oven, sundried tomatoes in olive oil, a baggie of spices con pesce (spices especially blended for fish) that included the freshest smelling rosemary and oregano, an onion, and Finocchio (fennel).
We weren’t sure what to expect from the finocchio, but it was a great fresh additive with a slight licorice flavor when we chopped it up like an onion and added it to the mix. We had a blast buying, cooking, and trying new flavors – and with all those super fresh ingredients, the end result was fantastico!!
After 5 days here, Ortigia had captured my heart. My DH had to carry me out of Ortigia kicking and screaming, but we managed to move on to the hill town of “Ragusa Ibla” (old Ragusa). The entire town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, but it was completely rebuilt in the latest style of the time: Baroque.
The town’s most beautiful square surrounds the Duomo, and we are staying in an elegant townhouse right around the corner. Our room (a suite actually) at the Risveglia Ibleo B&B was immense with three rooms plus an enormous bathroom. We have a separate bedroom plus two living areas furnished with a TV, two more beds, and even a large upright piano! We can really spread out here – the big rooms are perfect for me to practice some Tai Chi!
Ragusa is actually divided into 2 towns: Ragusa the “modern” town, and Ragusa Ibla, the old town. Each is its own hill town, separated by a valley between. We took a bus to the upper “modern” town of Ragusa and followed a series of stone staircases back down here to the old town, where we are staying.
A young woman named Mona kindly helped us locate the staircase. She was taking her little boy for a ride in his stroller when she found us two “lost” Americans. She even asked me to watch her little boy for a few minutes while she ran into a shop. Once Mona walked us across town (or so it seemed) to the stairs we were searching for, we had a great hike past stunning Baroque churches and fantastic viewpoints of the old town of Ragusa Ibla.
Tomorrow, we say a sad arrivederci to Sicily and take an early ferry to the nearby island of Malta – a new place and an all new adventure. We will miss Sicilia; it has been our friendly home for the past 3 weeks!
A few more comments on Risveglia Ibleo B&B. This is a very elegant, old world kind of place. Our hosts here were the sweetest older couple -- she spoke some English, he very little. Breakfast was an amazing affair with bread baked in their ancient bread oven and many other homemade items like a yogurt (I think) made with grapes and delicious jams. Our host even drove us to Pozzallo for the ferry to Malta which was more than kind.
A word about public transportation. We really enjoyed traveling all over Sicily by bus and train and had no problems doing it. People were always more than helpful directing us to the right bus etc. As all Sicilians will tell you, the buses are very comfortable and go just about anywhere. The trains are more like old clunkers with new seats, but I love trains of all varieties, and the Sicilian ones were just fine. I love public transportation, and it was fun to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Closing thoughts on Sicily. I had wanted to visit Sicily for many years, so my expectations were pretty high, but Sicily went so far beyond what I expected. The ancient Greek sites, the ambience, the food -- all incredible. But the people are what make Sicily a must-visit place. We have visited alot of friendly places (Ireland and Thailand come to mind), but Sicily has a special genuine hospitality that you have to experience for yourself.
Malta coming up next!
Apr 20th, 2011, 06:28 AM
#23
I recently returned from my first visit to Sicily, lthough unfortunately my trip was far too brief. I couldn't agree with you more about the friendliness of the people--yet sometimes it's a gruff-friendliness, and I am sure you know what I mean. I had such a good time. We just fell in love with Sicily.
Apr 20th, 2011, 09:43 AM
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Treesa -- Here is the website for the Underground Tour in Naples: www.napolisotterranea.org/en/escursioni2352.html
You don't have to reserve ahead of time, but we did stop by to verify the time.
You don't have to reserve ahead of time, but we did stop by to verify the time.
Apr 20th, 2011, 11:56 AM
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I just finished reading and have to say this is one very enjoyable trip report. I've known for a while that I want to visit Sicily, but reading your account is really making me yearn to visit there even more! Thanks so much for posting a terrific report!
Apr 20th, 2011, 01:55 PM
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Malta, Gozo, and Milan
We took a hydrofoil from Sicily to Malta, arriving in the capital city of Valletta in about three hours. Valletta is considered to have one of Europe’s finest cityscapes, and entering the Grand Harbor by boat offered an impressive view of this city of stone that is surrounded by massive fortifications.
Since you probably know as much about Malta as we did a few months ago (i.e. next to nothing), here is a mini-Malta history lesson. Much like Sicily, Malta was conquered by every bully on the block including the Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards, French, and British. In 1530, Malta was given to the Knights of St. John (aka Knights of Malta). These Knights came from all over Europe and were originally charged with protecting pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
In 1565, the Knights became the heroes of Europe when their outnumbered force of less than 9,000 held off a Turkish invasion force of over 30,000. In fact, the stone fortifications that we admire so much were built out of fear that the Turks would return.
The Maltese people were put to the test once again during WWII when they suffered 154 days of continuous bombing (even London during the Blitz numbered only 57 days of continuous bombing). As a result of their bravery, the people of Malta were awarded the George Cross, Great Britain’s highest civilian honor. Surprisingly, the Knights still exist with about 12,000 Knights and Dames providing medical care and disaster relief around the world.
In Valletta, we stayed in a studio apartment carved right out of the fortifications. We even had a view of the Grand Harbor from our balcony! The city layout of Valletta was a bit challenging with steep streets that reminded us of San Francisco. Valletta sits on a hill, and cross streets go up one side of the hill and down the other with lots of steps along the way. The architecture is also unusual with bright red, blue, or green wooden balconies hanging on the stone facades of the buildings.
English is the second language of Malta, so everyone speaks it, making Malta a very user friendly place for us English speakers. And because of the British influence, all street signs and storefronts are in English too.
We began our tour of the city at the Knight’s church, the Co-Cathedral of St. John. The original Knights may have taken a vow of poverty, but their cathedral must have been exempt! The interior was a stunner: a kaleidoscope of rich colors with an altar worthy of Bernini and a marble inlaid floor that marked the tombs of the Knights buried below.
We also visited Valletta’s Archaeology Museum where we first learned about the remarkable prehistoric sites on Malta. Believe it or not, the megalithic temples of Malta, built between 3600 and 2500 B.C., are the oldest surviving free-standing structures in the world (much older than the Pyramids).
We visited several of them including the prehistoric sites at Hagar Qim & Mnajdra (you can really see the Arab influence in the Maltese language), and the even more impressive Tarxien Temples. All the temples were built with great craftsmanship: standing stones weighing as much as 20 tons, marvelous swirly stone carvings, and unusual stone portals with holes in the stone doorways believed to have been used to hang animal skin “doors.”
Statues found at the sites were equally fascinating: the famous “Fat Ladies” who may have been fertility goddesses, the tiny, but detailed “Venus of Malta, and a sinuous “Sleeping Lady” who looks just like a Picasso sculpture. Plus, several of these ingenious temples are aligned with the sun so that the inner “altar” is illuminated during the summer and winter solstices.
Our favorite ancient site was the Hypogeum, a strange underground burial site. I had bought tickets months ago, and with only 60 people permitted to enter each day, we felt privileged to climb down into the elaborate chambers carved from the rock. The builders actually replicated the style of the aboveground temples by carving pillars and portals out of the solid rock. The most special room of all was the “Holy of Holies,” so beautifully carved that you would swear you were looking at a Greek masterwork (even though the Hypogeum appeared several thousand years earlier).
No one knows who these people were, or more importantly, why they abruptly stopped building temples and seemed to disappear. Honestly, the more of these mysterious sites that we visit, the more we start to believe in aliens!
We also visited the village of Marsaxlokk, home to about 70% of the fishing boats on Malta with a colorful harbor filled with distinctive boats painted in primary shades of red, blue, and yellow. The bow of each boat is decorated with the “Eyes of Osiris” to ward off evil spirits. Not being a big fan of evil spirits ourselves, we bought a ceramic version of an “eye” to bring back home with us.
As promised, we checked out the island of Gozo, spending two nights on this laidback little island that is only 8.5 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Gozo is like a mini-Malta but much more rural and with more of an Arab look. Everybody knows each other here, and we really enjoyed the small town ambience.
We spent a real “Gozo Day” with a taxi cab driver we happened to meet when we first arrived. Franky, who lived for many years in Manhattan, gave us a complete tour or the island. We enjoyed lovely sea views, and the Miracle Church (the Maltese are some of the most devout Roman Catholics in the world) where the faithful come hoping for cures. We bought some handmade Gozo lace in a craft village from a woman who showed us how she flips these bobbins around to make the lace. This is really an “almost lost” art. Most fun of all was the Folklore Museum that contains one man’s collection of all kinds of memorabilia. Later, we stopped at the super friendly Ta ‘Mena winery for a taste Gozo wine!
We flew Easy Jet from Valletta to Milan where we spent just one night before flying home. But this stop gave us time to pay our respects to Leonardo de Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The painting is in much better shape than we expected with surprisingly vibrant colors.
Final Thoughts: Of the two islands, I prefer Sicily (can't beat the combination of people, sights, and food). Malta lacks a really distinctive culture (too many invaders, I guess), and the people are not quite as welcoming as in
Sicily (but they are very friendly). However, Malta has such a unique history that makes it a fascinating place to visit - especially if you enjoy prehistory!
We took a hydrofoil from Sicily to Malta, arriving in the capital city of Valletta in about three hours. Valletta is considered to have one of Europe’s finest cityscapes, and entering the Grand Harbor by boat offered an impressive view of this city of stone that is surrounded by massive fortifications.
Since you probably know as much about Malta as we did a few months ago (i.e. next to nothing), here is a mini-Malta history lesson. Much like Sicily, Malta was conquered by every bully on the block including the Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards, French, and British. In 1530, Malta was given to the Knights of St. John (aka Knights of Malta). These Knights came from all over Europe and were originally charged with protecting pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
In 1565, the Knights became the heroes of Europe when their outnumbered force of less than 9,000 held off a Turkish invasion force of over 30,000. In fact, the stone fortifications that we admire so much were built out of fear that the Turks would return.
The Maltese people were put to the test once again during WWII when they suffered 154 days of continuous bombing (even London during the Blitz numbered only 57 days of continuous bombing). As a result of their bravery, the people of Malta were awarded the George Cross, Great Britain’s highest civilian honor. Surprisingly, the Knights still exist with about 12,000 Knights and Dames providing medical care and disaster relief around the world.
In Valletta, we stayed in a studio apartment carved right out of the fortifications. We even had a view of the Grand Harbor from our balcony! The city layout of Valletta was a bit challenging with steep streets that reminded us of San Francisco. Valletta sits on a hill, and cross streets go up one side of the hill and down the other with lots of steps along the way. The architecture is also unusual with bright red, blue, or green wooden balconies hanging on the stone facades of the buildings.
English is the second language of Malta, so everyone speaks it, making Malta a very user friendly place for us English speakers. And because of the British influence, all street signs and storefronts are in English too.
We began our tour of the city at the Knight’s church, the Co-Cathedral of St. John. The original Knights may have taken a vow of poverty, but their cathedral must have been exempt! The interior was a stunner: a kaleidoscope of rich colors with an altar worthy of Bernini and a marble inlaid floor that marked the tombs of the Knights buried below.
We also visited Valletta’s Archaeology Museum where we first learned about the remarkable prehistoric sites on Malta. Believe it or not, the megalithic temples of Malta, built between 3600 and 2500 B.C., are the oldest surviving free-standing structures in the world (much older than the Pyramids).
We visited several of them including the prehistoric sites at Hagar Qim & Mnajdra (you can really see the Arab influence in the Maltese language), and the even more impressive Tarxien Temples. All the temples were built with great craftsmanship: standing stones weighing as much as 20 tons, marvelous swirly stone carvings, and unusual stone portals with holes in the stone doorways believed to have been used to hang animal skin “doors.”
Statues found at the sites were equally fascinating: the famous “Fat Ladies” who may have been fertility goddesses, the tiny, but detailed “Venus of Malta, and a sinuous “Sleeping Lady” who looks just like a Picasso sculpture. Plus, several of these ingenious temples are aligned with the sun so that the inner “altar” is illuminated during the summer and winter solstices.
Our favorite ancient site was the Hypogeum, a strange underground burial site. I had bought tickets months ago, and with only 60 people permitted to enter each day, we felt privileged to climb down into the elaborate chambers carved from the rock. The builders actually replicated the style of the aboveground temples by carving pillars and portals out of the solid rock. The most special room of all was the “Holy of Holies,” so beautifully carved that you would swear you were looking at a Greek masterwork (even though the Hypogeum appeared several thousand years earlier).
No one knows who these people were, or more importantly, why they abruptly stopped building temples and seemed to disappear. Honestly, the more of these mysterious sites that we visit, the more we start to believe in aliens!
We also visited the village of Marsaxlokk, home to about 70% of the fishing boats on Malta with a colorful harbor filled with distinctive boats painted in primary shades of red, blue, and yellow. The bow of each boat is decorated with the “Eyes of Osiris” to ward off evil spirits. Not being a big fan of evil spirits ourselves, we bought a ceramic version of an “eye” to bring back home with us.
As promised, we checked out the island of Gozo, spending two nights on this laidback little island that is only 8.5 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Gozo is like a mini-Malta but much more rural and with more of an Arab look. Everybody knows each other here, and we really enjoyed the small town ambience.
We spent a real “Gozo Day” with a taxi cab driver we happened to meet when we first arrived. Franky, who lived for many years in Manhattan, gave us a complete tour or the island. We enjoyed lovely sea views, and the Miracle Church (the Maltese are some of the most devout Roman Catholics in the world) where the faithful come hoping for cures. We bought some handmade Gozo lace in a craft village from a woman who showed us how she flips these bobbins around to make the lace. This is really an “almost lost” art. Most fun of all was the Folklore Museum that contains one man’s collection of all kinds of memorabilia. Later, we stopped at the super friendly Ta ‘Mena winery for a taste Gozo wine!
We flew Easy Jet from Valletta to Milan where we spent just one night before flying home. But this stop gave us time to pay our respects to Leonardo de Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The painting is in much better shape than we expected with surprisingly vibrant colors.
Final Thoughts: Of the two islands, I prefer Sicily (can't beat the combination of people, sights, and food). Malta lacks a really distinctive culture (too many invaders, I guess), and the people are not quite as welcoming as in
Sicily (but they are very friendly). However, Malta has such a unique history that makes it a fascinating place to visit - especially if you enjoy prehistory!
Apr 21st, 2011, 11:53 AM
#31
Malta is very popular with Brits, probably because of the climate and the widely spoken english. also family-friendly resorts - we took our kids when they were quite small and had a lovely time staying in a very nice hotel with lots to see during the day, and in the evening entertainment for them and us. who could forget the dulcet tones of the "Joyboys" who serenaded us every night?
thanks for sharing your trip with us, Magster.
here's to your next one!
thanks for sharing your trip with us, Magster.
here's to your next one!
Jan 12th, 2013, 06:41 PM
#32
Magster, I have never enjoyed reading a trip report so much.. I can see why you are the recipient of the kindness of strangers. Just the way this was written demonstrates your own generosity of spirit. Thanks for posting. I will be using this as a template for my own trip to Sicily this spring.
Jan 13th, 2013, 12:17 AM
#34
Thanks so much for sharing. I really enjoyed this, my husband and I spent 6 weeks visiting Malta, then Sicily, then back to Malta and Gozo, about 8 years ago. We loved Malta, I remember being amazed it wasn't better known and more popular.
We enjoyed Sicily (stayed in Ortigia, Taormina and Lipari) but felt the opposite to you - we liked Malta and the Maltese more. We found the Sicilians a bit shifty, deliberately short changing us etc but there are lots of Maltese in Australia, where we are from, and as soon as the Maltese knew that, they would beam from ear to ear and say something like, do you know my brother from St Albans? Which cracked us up, I guess it's like saying do you know Joe from Brooklyn?
So glad you enjoyed it all.
Kay
We enjoyed Sicily (stayed in Ortigia, Taormina and Lipari) but felt the opposite to you - we liked Malta and the Maltese more. We found the Sicilians a bit shifty, deliberately short changing us etc but there are lots of Maltese in Australia, where we are from, and as soon as the Maltese knew that, they would beam from ear to ear and say something like, do you know my brother from St Albans? Which cracked us up, I guess it's like saying do you know Joe from Brooklyn?
So glad you enjoyed it all.
Kay
Jan 13th, 2013, 12:21 AM
#35
I just read the first bit of your report again and we stayed at Valletta Studios too! We had apartment 2, we had booked apartment 1 but there was some sort of mix up. It was fairly basic but we were very happy there and much preferred it to a hotel. Did you have the local cats come in through the doorway and prowl around? This is making me want to go back!!
Kay
Kay
Jan 13th, 2013, 09:54 AM
#36
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Hi KayF -- Now that you mention it, I do remember the cats! We loved Valletta Studios, and if we ever get the opportunity to go back would definitely stay there again.
You know, I reread my report, and I may have been a bit hard on Malta. I fell totally in love with Sicily, but I certainly think of Malta often and the many historic sites continue to resonate with me. I would happily go back, and you are right, it is very surprising that more people don't realize how special it is. It's one of those lesser known gems!
You know, I reread my report, and I may have been a bit hard on Malta. I fell totally in love with Sicily, but I certainly think of Malta often and the many historic sites continue to resonate with me. I would happily go back, and you are right, it is very surprising that more people don't realize how special it is. It's one of those lesser known gems!
May 13th, 2013, 05:16 AM
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Are you sure you flew easy jet from malta to Milan? We can't get a flight from Milan to malta on easy jet, but we can on Ryanair. We're trying to book a VERY last minute impromptu trip leaving in two days! We've never been and have limited knowledge, but it looks sunny and beautiful so we say.....why not?!
May 13th, 2013, 05:55 AM
#38
Gills - This trip report is two years old (notice the date at the top). What flights existed then may not exist now. Try www.skyscanner.com or www.whichbudget.com for budget flights.
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