Destination Overview
It has been said that the Maltese islands are the 'open air
museum of the Mediterranean', offering 7,000 years or more of
history to explore with numerous cultural, historical and
megalithic sites unique in the world. The islands boast prehistoric
ruins older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt, and are
steeped in the legacy of the medieval order of the Knights of St
John, who used the island as their stronghold for defending
Christendom.The main island of Malta, covering just 95 square miles (246 sq
km), is also a popular holiday destination because of its secluded
bays and sandy beaches, washed by unpolluted clear blue waters. Set
against the backdrop of the island's scenery and its honey-coloured
stone buildings, Malta is alluring and fascinating.Malta and its little sister island, Gozo, are not stuck in a
time warp, however. The islanders enjoy life to the full, and the
calendar is filled with summertime 'festas' with fireworks and
revelry in every little parish in honour of the village patron
saints, as well as the major carnival in early spring every year.
The capital, Valletta, besides offering some awesome Baroque
buildings and fortifications as its main sightseeing attractions,
is bustling and bursting with restaurants and cafes. The island's
compact size is also a plus for visitors; it takes no more than an
hour to drive between any two points on the main island, and there
is very little open space. The dense population means that the
island is virtually one large urban area, with buildings occupying
every inch.Malta lies about 60 miles (97km) south of Sicily and 160 miles
(257km) north of Libya, a strategic position in the Mediterranean
that has made the islands a crossroads of history. The last
occupiers were the British, who granted Malta independence in 1964,
but the biggest and most unique influence was left by the Knights
of St John, to whom the island was donated in 1530; the Knights
reigned supreme over the island for 270 years, building magnificent
churches and monuments to themselves.Malta has its mysteries too, in the form of 30 prehistoric sites
boasting massive Neolithic temples, considered to be the oldest
freestanding stone buildings known to man.
