Malta

So this morning I woke up in Valletta, Malta. The Knights of St. John ruled this small country until Napoleon forced them to surrender in 1798. The Knight of Malta then left for Italy. Malta was only under French rule 2 years and was then taken over by the British who ruled until the 1970s. Today Malta is an independent country and part of the European Union.

The Upper Barracca Gardens have great views of the Grand Harbor.


Valletta is the modern day capital. St. John’s Co-Cathedral (1578) was one of the first stops on our morning tour. It is large yet simple on the outside but once you step inside the baroque décor is overwhelming. Here are some pictures:


Malta is 97% Catholic and there are about 365 Catholic churches. That’s a lot of mass. The Church of Our Lady of Victory was the first church built by the Knights in Valletta. It was built in 1566 to celebrate victory over the Turks.
Church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck houses sacred relics of the saint who was shipwrecked on the island in 60 AD.

After touring around Valletta, we headed over to Mdina – Malta’s old capital. Here is the Mdina city gate:


The Cathedral:

Vilhena Palace – The Grand Masters’ Palace which is now the Museum of Natural History.

And here I am having a little fun in Mdina.

After my tour took me back to the ship, I headed out on foot to explore Valletta some more. I really like the city. It helps that the official language is not only Maltese, but English as well. The buildings are all amazing – limestone and iron with shutters in varying colors.
We set sail tonight for Sicily. Messina will be my last city before heading back for Rome! Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday Isaac!