Malta: A sea lover’s paradise

Nandita Sharma

ONe of the Europe’s lesser-known smallest island nation and part of the 50 happiest countries on Earth, the Republic of Malta is a Mediterranean delight, offering a glorious mix of pre-historic architectural elegance and the finest luxuries of the contemporary world.

Situated in southern Europe, an archipelago consisting of three major islands — Malta, Gozo and Comino — strategically surrounded by crystal clear blue waters, this coralline limestone dominated island is set between the Italian coast of Sicily and the North African Coast of Tunisia. Occupying a tiny space on the world map with a mere area of 316 sq km, Malta was a British colony until the early 1960s. The small, yet captivating, city is characterised by an incredible contrast of picturesque landscapes full of rocky stretches along the enchanting coastline, on one hand and limestone cliffs adorned with terraced green fields on the other.

The capital city Valletta, nerve centre of Maltese administrative and business hustle and bustle, boasts of more than 300 monuments built by its successive rulers from Greeks to the Phoenicians, Romans, Sicilians, Swabians,Carthaginians, Arabs, Napoleon the great and the order of the knights of St John, making it one of the most concentrated historical areas on the globe according to Unesco. The collective efforts of architects of the 18th century and the military engineers of the colonial era, gives the island its distinctive fortified structures and bastioned walls. It is often called as one big open air museum where walking is rather a suitable option to see some of its historical wonders, including the Saluting Battery on the edge of the Grand Harbor, St. John’s cathedral, The Grandmaster’s Palace, Hal Saflieni Hypogeum — the prehistoric necropolis burial complex, and the best preserved other ancient limestone temples and forts.

A small drive from the harbour to the hilltop of Mdina, the ancient walled city with an extraordinary architectural treasure and the former capital of Malta, still evokes the nostalgia of the medieval times and offers an utterly soothing panoramic view of the island.

Malta is indeed a mariner’s paradise and a diver’s hot spot. The Grand Harbour in Valletta is witness to the rapidly prospering community of adventure lovers who traverse the island’s magical shores in their magnificent fleet of modern yachts and speedboats for that unordinary holiday experience. For that matter, the alluring blue sea offers a wide variety of underwater explorations for the enthusiastic bunch of divers and snorkelers. Moreover, apart from a dip into its glorious history, the naturally crafted rocky formations in the form of caves (sea caverns) popularly known as blue grottos remain on top of every visitor’s wish list. A boat ride to the grottos is one of the must do sea outings to witness its raw beauty and clean deep waters that usually leave everyone spellbound. The edges of the cave walls reflect the bright orange, green and purple hues of the underwater flora creating a mesmerizing concoction of light, colour and water.

The nearby Gozo Island is equally fascinating with its red sand beaches. The famous Azzure Window, the massive arch landmark remained one of the biggest tourist attractions for many years and kept enduring the raging sea until it collapsed when the high waves swept away the entire structure in 2017. The Blue Hole and the Inland Sea are also some of the popular scuba diving sites around the island. However, Comino, the smallest of the three islands in Malta is nearly uninhabited but has one of the best naturally preserved Blue Lagoon which is a treat for the eyes.

Malta has an interesting World War legacy of which the city of Valletta has many reminders. It served as a base for the allied powers and was the most heavily bombed place on Earth during the war. The most intriguing remains of that period are the Lascaris War Room, which is an underground complex of chambers and tunnels that were hollowed out from the limestone escarpment on which the present city exists. The defense of the islands during the World War II was conducted from this war headquarter. In addition, during the war, a system of underground air raid shelters was built throughout the islands. Many of them have been preserved and open to the public as the one at War Museum in Brigu, on the opposite side of Grand Harbor. There are indeed, more than a few sunken World War II ships around the island’s coastline.

A number of the military establishments during the World War have been converted to civilian use, the country’s international airport being one of them. Similarly, the ruin of Valletta’s Royal Opera House is an iconic WW II site which now functions as an open air theatre.