Let’s get one thing straight from the start: Malta is an absolutely fabulous little country. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in terms of things to do, places to see, and experiences to, er, experience.
For those of you who know little about this group of islands, here’s a bit of history. First of all, Malta is compact. The entire country has an area of just 316 km. But rather than work against it, this small size only serves to make visiting Malta a more intense experience with everything accessible to everyone from anywhere.
The country is made up of three islands with Malta the largest, Gozo the second, and the small island of Comino wedged between its two larger neighbors.
In terms of history, Malta has a lot going for it with 7,000 year old temples that are older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. There are also numerous fortified cities around the island, a legacy of the country’s long association with knights.
Due to its geographical location in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta has always been popular with the larger European countries, a popularity that often meant people invaded and occupied it.
Today, however, Malta is a fully independent country and proud of it. As a member of the European Union, Malta’s economy is increasingly based on the service industry which has an excellent pool of human resources. Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in the Maltese economy, as are industries such as language training and call centers.
In terms of climate, Malta is what you would describe as typically Mediterranean. Warm sunny days take up more than half the year with summer lasting up to six months. And the winters aren’t exactly cold either, although they can be a bit humid.
The local currency is the euro, which was introduced in January 2008 to replace the Maltese lira. The time zone is Central European, that is, GMT+1 and the official languages are Maltese and English.
Malta is also a very religious country with the vast majority of inhabitants being Roman Catholic. So it’s no wonder there are enough churches spread out to allow you to visit one every day for a year without going to the same one twice.
More than anything else, though, Malta has one great unique selling point: its people. You have to go a long way to find a kinder, warmer, more welcoming collection of people.
But wouldn’t you be surprised to know that in such a small archipelago there are over 101 things you can do during your visit?
It is a well known fact that Malta offers fantastic facilities for enjoying the sea: swimming, diving, scuba diving, snorkelling, boating, sailing, sailing, canoeing, skydiving – the list is endless.
But did you know that you can climb hills or go kart racing in Malta, or watch glassblowers create amazing glass objects, see Maltese lace woven as it was done hundreds of years ago, or watch the F1 powerboat race? from an impressive short distance.
Did you know that you can visit the President’s Palace and see how the Knights of Malta built their wonderful palaces, or experience the events of the Great Siege in 1565 in a two-hour musical epic?
Did you know that the Co-Cathedral of Saint John, the former convent church of the Knights of Malta, houses the famous painting by Caravaggio “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” (1608), the only one signed by the reckless artist?
When you visit the silent city of Mdina at night, the city’s fortress built by the Knights of St. John, you may be looking for the ghost of a knight who, legend has it, committed suicide after being killed by the woman he loved. will reject
You can also visit The Last Olly Pub, where British actor Oliver Reed died on May 2, 1999 at the age of 61, after a typical drinking session at The Pub, one of Valletta’s many bars.
And what about the picturesque Popeye Village, where the blockbuster “Popeye” starring Robin Williams and Shelly Duval was filmed. Recent blockbusters “The Gladiator” and “Helen of Troy” were also shot in Malta at Mediterranean Film Studios.
So if you thought Malta was just another boring island with nothing to do and nowhere to go, you couldn’t be more wrong. Just log on to http://www.101malta.com and see for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!