The
essenTials
getting there
The Maltese Parliament; Valletta’s steep streets (below)
VibrAnt VALLettA
28
Summer 2018
AMA InSIder
language
maltese, but eight
in 10 residents also
speak english
currency
All of this new life complements
existing institutions: the Saint James
Cavalier arts complex, for example, and
the circa-1578 St. John’s Co-Cathedral
(with its prized pair of Caravaggio
paintings). For history buffs, there’s the
National Museum of Archaeology and
Lascaris War Rooms, a restored World
War II operations bunker from which
Allied commanders oversaw in the
1943 invasion of Sicily.
Near the war rooms, the Upper
Barrakka Gardens overlooks the Grand
Harbour. It was once a fierce theatre
of war—during the 1565 Great Siege
of Malta by the Ottoman navy, and
additional sieges between 1940 and
1942. Today, the harbour welcomes
super yachts and cruise ships filled with
day-trippers. It’s a remarkable place to
stand, with a view of hundreds of years
of human history in a city on the rise
once again. And it’s here you that you’ll
most profoundly appreciate the decision
to stick around Malta for a long stay.
There’s simply so much to learn and
so many layers to uncover in this very
small country. You can see it all, but it’ll
definitely take some time.
malta is part of the
european union.
one canadian dollar
translates to about 0.65
euros. Purchase euros
at any AmA centre
tipping
tip 10–15% in restaurants
if a service charge is
not included; 10% for
taxi rides
Weather
daytime highs range
from 10–15 c in winter,
and hover around 30 c
from June to September.
Pack sunglasses: malta
gets 3,000-plus hours of
sunlight annually
gooD to knoW
most businesses (except
churches) close on
Sunday; electrical plugs
are the three-pin
40-volt type as found
in the u.k.; blood
oranges are an abundant
delicacy in winter
Worthy of repeat visits during a stay
in Malta is the capital itself. When
the Maltese say they’re going to “the
city,” they specifically mean Valletta,
a walled municipality built by atop
a rocky ridge between two harbours.
The city’s grid layout, a departure from
the meandering roads that typify the
rest of Malta, has created a kind of
Renaissance-style San Francisco, with
some streets that are so steep they
consist only of steps.
As occurred elsewhere in the world,
“old” went out of fashion in Valletta for
some decades; the population declined
and city life became dormant. But
that trend has reversed over the last
few years. Once-derelict buildings are
being rehabilitated and new bars and
restaurants have popped up, turning
Valletta into the place to be on the
island, day or night. Likewise, famed
Italian architect Renzo Piano recently
rebuilt Valletta’s city gate and created
a new Maltese parliament building,
a striking intervention of modern
architecture in a Baroque city—and just
one reason why Valletta was named a
European Capital of Culture for 2018.
“There are lots of little harbours with
sidewalk cafés and historic forts,” Mitch
says, describing a day he and Di spent
walking the coast from Kalkara—a
village opposite Valletta on Malta’s
Grand Harbour—back to the Qawra,
bumping into locals along the way.
“The Maltese are some of the friendliest
people I’ve met.”
Air canada flies between
Alberta and malta with a
connection in frankfurt.
flights on klm connect
via Amsterdam. Qawra is
20 km northwest of malta
International Airport