Essential Malta and Gozo [antikvár]

Authors' Malta a Gozo Mediterranean Crossroads If the Mediterranean Sea had a central crossroads, Malta would mark the spot. Sicily is just over 90km to the north, North Africa under 300km to the south. Spain and Gibraltar 1,820km to the west, and Egypt 1,750km to the east are roughly equidistant. Malta itself consists of two main islands, Malta and Gozo, separated by a mere 8km, with the largely uninhabited, tiny Island of Comino in between. Painting on the prow of a luzzu is an ancient tradition that predates St Paul's arrival on Malta The islands of Malta and Gozo are set right in the middle of the Mediterranean and at the narrowest point, thus smack on an ancient and turbulent crossroads. In striking contrast to their small size, their historic legacy is immense. Once the Romans came for precious honey. Today, as you gaze at honey-coloured walls this sense of age is all enveloping. The catalogue of fearsome invaders, from ancient times to World War II, has made Malta's language, food and architecture an enticing mix of European, Arabian and British influences. Yet, unbelievably, Malta's culture is distinctively its own. Here are prehistoric monuments built 1,000 years before the pyramids, Roman ruins and the truly awesome defensive works of the Knights of Malta, the latter largely unaltered and part of an extraordinary wealth of architecture. Agriculture and fishing are important, but this is a busy working place with good shopping, numerous markets and a buzzing tourist life. But remember: in these often overlooked islands time can come adrift. A spell may be cast by the sun and the deep turquoise sea, the scent of citrus groves on the wind, the fields of wildflowers in the spring, and the fresh Mediterranean food served alfresco with a glass of wine. Brightly painted luzzu bob in the harbours, and then there are the endearingly ancient cars and buses - each often carry/ing its own little shrine, perhaps reflecting the sometimes perilous driving conditions - red telephone boxes, and families enjoying the evening stroll or passeggiata. Smaller and more verdant Gozo and minute Comino enhance even further the feeling of a place apart. Once you relax into a pace of life that is full of vitality, but a few steps back in time, you may stay longer than you had intended. Yet it is the islanders themselves one recalls with affection. They are engagingly affable: always willing to help and unfailingly polite. The Maltese are well-used to visitors but they are never cynical about tourists and a warm welcome is assured.