Matla in the Mediterranean: Tourists discover the little country that could

 

You're never far from the water in Malta, the EU's smallest country sits by itself in the middle of the Mediterranean

How is it that a Mediterranean island most Americans could not find on a map earns the distinction of an over-crowded, heavily congested country with the highest tourism density in Europe?

An how does a travel writer who aims to avoid beaches and touristy travel not only end up there, but leaves impressed with its culture, history and culinary traditions?

Tell friends in the U.S. that you are going to Malta, and the response will likely be a blank look or a polite "Where exactly is that?''  

Italians, Brits, Germans and Russian need no help finding the handful of tiny islands in the middle of the Mediterranean sea between Sicily in Italy and Tunisia in North Africa.

They know the European Union's smallest country (122 square miles) well as a quick weekend getaway, thanks to discounted flights from dozens of cities.

Move aside islands in Greece, Spain and Portugal. Malta topped the charts as Europe's most over crowded tourist spot in recent New York Post story analyzing the size of European island destinations in comparison to the number of tourists hosted.

Consider that Rhode Island, our smallest state is 10 times larger than Malta, yet Malta records more than four million tourists annually, roughly 6 to 8 tourists for every resident (population 575,000). 

As anti-tourism movements pick up in overcrowded cities such as Venice and Barcelona, could Malta be next? 

An Instagram site called Overtouristedmalta sends out viral videos showing crowded streets in the capital of Valletta, traffic jams and long lines at popular attractions.

All of this is no doubt true in the peak summer season when thousands of Europeans crowd the beach resorts by day and Valletta's nightclubs and bars by night.

Not knowing any of this, my husband, Tom, and I discovered a different side of Malta, almost by default. We visited in April when it was too cool for the beaches, but an excellent time to wander Valletta's steep, mostly-pedestrianized streets without the crowds, and learn about the country's religious and military history dating from Arab rule in the 11th century through the Crusades and World War II. 

"Where Arabia Meets Europe" is how Saudi Aramco World Magazine described Malta in its January issue. A confluence of cultures - Greek, Roman, Arabic, Sicilian, Spanish, French and British - gifted Malta with a blend of culinary traditions, architecture and a semitic language in the same family as Arabic and Hebrew, with phrases adapted from French and Italian. 

After stumbling on another article titled  "There's more to Malta than Beaches," we planned a a six-day stopover on our way to Bari in Italy to visit friends.    

Getting a handle on Malta's geography is tricky. Malta is the name of the main island as well as the country. It includes five islands in all, three inhabited, dominated by steep limestone cliffs indented by bays, inlets, and coves. Deciding where to base ourselves was the first challenge.

Besides the beach resort community of Sliema, the most obvious choice is Valletta, the European Union's smallest capital, built as a hilltop fortress by the Knights of St. John, a Catholic brotherhood of noblemen who fought off Muslim invaders in the 16th century. 

Unfairly maligned by viral visuals on "Overtouristed Malta's" Instagram site showing overcrowded streets, congested walkways and traffic, Valletta is a unique walled city built entirely of golden limestone, reachable 200 feet above the seafront via  hundreds of stairs or a 26-second elevator ride for one euro.

Steps leading from the seafront to the the top of Valletta

Hidden inside the walls is a rich collection of 16th century Baroque palaces, churches, monasteries and gardens built by the Knights. Museums, hotels, galleries and cafes line steps that double as "streets" in areas that are mostly-pedestrianized.

After looking for places to stay in Valletta and finding them either booked or expensive, we decided to base ourselves in quieter and less-congested Birgu, a fortified city on the southern side of Malta's Grand Harbour, directly across from Valletta.

A bit of history: Malta was part of the Kingdom of Sicily until 1530, when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V leased the archipelago to the Knights of St. John who, at the time, were escaping the Ottoman invasion of Greece. When the Knights arrived, they chose Birgu on the waterfront as their base rather than the 8th century inland capital of Mdina. Birgu served as Malta's de facto capital until the establishment of Valletta in 1571, when the Knights and Maltese civilians halted the Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean, and built a new city named for the Knights' grand master Jean Parisot de Valette. 

The walled entrance to Birgu

Birgu and two other towns (together referred to as the Three Cities) are connected to Valletta by land, but public ferries and private boatmen make short-cutting along the water faster and more pleasant than taking the bus.

Private boats make the crossing between Birgu and Valletta when the ferries are full or not running

Our Airbnb ($130 per night) was an air conditioned apartment in a renovated 300-year-old townhouse in a neighborhood of mostly pedestrianized streets where residents decorate the exteriors of their homes with brightly painted enclosed wooden and glass balconies, an Arab-influenced architectural feature that provides a sense of privacy for those who want to look out but not necessarily be seen. 

Staying in Birgu felt like living in a small village compared to bustling Valletta. We woke to the sound of church bells playing "Ave Maria" each morning, and became regulars at Cafe Riche, a neighborhood breakfast spot which served Tuna ftira, Maltese bread slathered with a tomato paste and topped with tuna, olives, olive oil, capers, goat cheese and sun-dried tomato.

A breakfast of Tuna ftira

Birgu's Fort Angelo

Tour groups come to Birgu for the day to explore Fort St. Angelo, a bastioned fortress at the tip of the peninsula, once the Knights' military headquarters, now a museum.

By late afternoon, with the tour groups gone, the few cafes on the main square cater to locals. English co-exists with Maltese as the official language, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with women at the bus stop, or people in a crowd gathered one evening to hear speeches by political candidates running for office.  

Birgu also happened to be the best location to view the Malta International Fireworks Festival, usually held after Easter, to mark the start of the summer fireworks season. 

The country has deep pyrotechnic traditions dating to the time of the Knights who celebrated military victories and important religious events with gunpowder displays. 

This year's festival finale, capped by 1,000 -drone show, happened while we were there. Tickets were already sold out for viewing areas with seating, but our Airbnb was within walking distance of a long pier where we joined locals who came with picnics, beer and chairs for a show that lasted more than two hours.

Food, churches and tunnels

A British colony during World War II, and still part of the British Commonwealth, Malta was key to the Allied defense of the Mediterranean. During bombing by the Axis powers, inhabitants took shelter in the secret underground cisterns and tunnels dug by the Knights to store water and food. 

The result is an entire city beneath the streets which visitors can explore on a walking tour with the Malta National Community Art Museum. Wearing hard hats and head lamps, we walked in the dark for an hour, passing by small rooms residents rented as emergency shelters.  

A religious plaque on a wall inside one of the tunnels

The Roman Catholic religion plays an important part in Maltese daily life. Many of its churches are baroque masterpieces. St. John‘s Co-Cathedral, built from limestone by the Knights in 1573, is covered floor to ceiling with inlaid tile work, gold, statuary and paintings including the Beheading of St. John the Baptist by Caravaggio, the largest canvas he painted and the only one he signed. 

Caravaggio's painting inside St. John's Co-Cathedral

Tombs of high-ranking Knights in St. John's Co-Cathredral are decorated with tiles depicting battle scenes

Laundry day

No, we didn‘t hit the jackpot at a casino. We went by ferry in Birgu to the laundromat in Valletta. Washers take only 1 euro or 50-cent coins. You insert a 20e bill in a machine, and it spits out 40 50-cent coins. 

Waiting for the laundry to finish was an excuse to have breakfast at the Museum Cafe with its marble tables and Maltese specialties. It's true that many restaurants cater to British tourists' appetites for fish and chips, but a robust culinary landscape awaits those willing to dive deeper into the island's flavors.

The Museum Cafe in Valletta

The national snack is pastizz, filo dough pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas (A British favorite), sold from street corner windows for 50 cents each. At the Museum Cafe, we breakfasted on hobż biż-zejt, a classic Maltese sandwich made with crusty sourdough bread rubbed with ripe tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with tuna, capers, onions, and olives. The national beverage is Kinnie, an orange-colored bittersweet carbonated soft drink flavored with bitter oranges and aromatic herbs.

There used to be a chocolate district in Valletta, but it‘s no more. There is, however, an excellent chocolate shop called the Chocolate District  where it's never to early for an orange-chocolate Martini.