Where to Eat and Drink

A leading light in creative Maltese cuisine, Rubino (53 Old Bakery St.; 356-21/ 224- 656) uses seasonal ingredients in an everchanging range of dishes in an informal setting that puts the focus squarely on the excellent fare. One of the latest additions to Valletta’s night scene, the Taproom (53 Old Theatre St.; 356-27/491-316) oozes old-world charm, while ever-popular Tico Tico (356-21/220-449) and StrEat (356-77/ 787-328) can both be found on Strait Street. I’m mystified at first, but then I realize that the interplay of highlights and shadows on the scaly stones creates ever-changing patterns as the sun arcs across the sky.

As twilight descends, I take a seat in the new theater that now occupies the site of the former Royal Opera House. For decades after being bombed in World War II, the once palatial theater sat as a pile of neoclassical ruins while a debate raged about what should be done with it. Left in the hands of Piano, it’s been redesigned with empathy for its history rather than just replicated: 11 of the classical columns that graced the original structure now stand like sentinels around an open-air theater set within the ruins.

The upcoming performance season hasn’t started yet, but I can imagine the evocative ambience during an evening show, surrounded by buildings new and old, with the quintessentially Maltese timber balconies jutting out from the latter like theater boxes. Amid all of this history and artistry, the ruin itself would serve as an extended stage, a monumental backdrop for any performance, and a celebration of Valletta’s new vision.