Malta at its most majestic
The Queen and Prince Philip have a soft spot for Valletta and it’s still a treasure
The Queen and Prince Philip seem to be enjoying themselves on Malta. No wonder: it was where they lived after getting married, when Prince Philip was stationed there with the Royal Navy. In 2007, the couple returned to the island’s capital, Valletta, to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, and spoke of their ‘deep affection’ for the place.
Now the Queen is there to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. And everyone should try to visit Valletta, one of the world’s unheralded capitals.
WHY VALLETTA?
AN EXTENDED fortress set on a little rock off the south coast of Sicily, Malta’s capital city boasts Baroque architecture, dusted with rustcoloured sand from Africa. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s also said to have the best climate in europe. Valletta is scheduled to be crowned european Capital of Culture in 2018.
HISTORY LESSON
IN the late 16th century, the Knights of St John — a Catholic military order devoted to providing medical care for pilgrims — built the city from scratch as a stronghold against marauding Ottomans.
It resisted allcomers until Napoleon seized control in 1798. he in turn was ousted by the British, who ruled for a century and a half.
THE BEST OF BRITISH
A MALTESE breakfast consists of pastizzi: pastries filled with spinach, sausage or cheese. these are a legacy of the British occupation, since they’re descended from the Cornish pasties introduced by soldiers billeted on the island.
You can thank your waiter in english, since it is one of the two main languages spoken in Valletta. And, as you explore the streets, you’ll notice red phone boxes and post boxes that look as though they’ve been uprooted from trafalgar Square.
FIRST PORT OF CALL
the one unmissable attraction is St John’s Co-Cathedral. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but step inside and you enter a world of goldleaf Baroque extravagance.
the Oratory has the largest painting Caravaggio ever made: the magnificently gruesome Beheading of St John the Baptist.
If you look closely, you’ll see the artist has signed his name with morbid flamboyance in the spilt blood of the victim.
INSIDER TIPS
VISIT the residence of the de Piro family, the Casa Rocca Piccola in Republic Street, which is open to the
public. If you’re lucky, the exquisitely mannered Marquis de Piro will show you round, explaining the history of his home, its paintings and curios.
From May to October, there’s live jazz on Friday evenings outside Bridge Bar in Saint Ursula Street.
The steps are strewn with cushions and students, while a saxophonist pours his soul out. It’s a classic Maltese experience.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Be Sure to take the children for a stroll in the Upper Barrakka Gardens at noon and then visit the Saluting Battery, from where the guns still fire a daily salute.
FINE DINING
RAMPILA restaurant, on a site that once housed cannons defending the city gates, serves mouth-watering mains including rack of lamb with pine nuts and apricot couscous.
at ambrosia trattoria, bang in the middle of the city, you can sample traditional Maltese rabbit in red wine sauce. Then pop next door to The Pub, the watering hole where the hellraising actor Oliver Reed finally expired, reportedly after downing three bottles of rum.
HANGOVER CURE
On Sunday morning, soothe your throbbing head at Mass in St John’s Co- Cathedral, Royal retreat: Valletta, where e the Queen and d Prince Philip (inset) stayed on their honeymoon in 1947 which starts at 9am. Then take a boat trip around the great harbour: a port of such importance it was beloved by nelson and napoleon.
STAYING IN STYLE
The Palazzo Prince d’Orange is a wonderful converted 17thcentury palazzo, resplendent with period touches. Take a suite, relax in the drawing room and catch some sun on the roof terrace. Suites, which take four, start at £160 per night ( palazzoprincemalta.com).
HOW TO GET THERE
AIR Malta flies to Malta International airport from £136 return (airmalta.com).