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WIZZ MAGAZINE
PHOTO BY ALAMY
MA L TA
wo days isn’t enough!” my
Maltese friends Michael and
Jennifer exclaim when I tell them
I’m coming to Malta to experience the
island like a local. Their email recommends
I stay at least four days, especially seeing
as there are no trains on the island to ease
my journey. “Only buses,” they say, “which
are fine around the capital, Valletta, but
can be unreliable further out.” Reading this,
I laugh. I’ve done my homework and the
island of Malta is small enough to cross in
under an hour, so a minor bus delay would
hardly upset my agenda.
Travel today isn’t about ticking off the
sights in a guidebook; and travellers want to
see more than just the usual tourist hotspots.
And, thanks to the internet and social media
channels, this is possible in almost every
destination. So, before I packed my bags, I
hit up Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, you name it,
trying to come up with the ultimate “must-do”
list for my stay in Malta.
Michael and Jennifer were my first port
of call, having lived in Malta for many
years, and been my friends even longer.
Top on their list is the Hypogeum; a
subterranean burial ground (hypogeum
means ‘underground’) hewn by ingeniously
following natural fault lines in living rock
to construct a structurally sound complex
of three levels, the oldest dating back to
3300
BC. “This must be booked months
in advance and you can do this online at
booking.heritagemalta.org
,”
they tell me.
True to their word, when I arrive, a sign
states that the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum
is fully booked for the month. Luckily, I’d
listened to their advice and reserved my
spot early. (Note: 20 tickets are released
daily at the Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta,
at a premium for late planners/early risers).
My next destination is St John’s
Co-Cathedral in Valletta. This Catholic
cathedral was commissioned in 1572 as
a conventual church for the Knights of St
John who succeeded in defending the faith
against the invading Turks. In the 1820s, it
gained Co-Cathedral status when the Bishop
of Malta was granted permission to use it
as an alternative see (seat) to his cathedral
in Mdina. While its exterior remains true to
the fortresses of the time, the interior, which
was re-decorated in the 17th century is a
spectacle for the eyes. Gilded in gold, its
baroque style is a magnificent display of
reverence across eight mini-chapels, each
dedicated to the eight “langues” (lands of
origin) of the Knights.
As I stroll Valletta’s streets, taking in the
red and green enclosed balconies, narrow
alleys and hidden museums, I understand
T
