by Anna Maria Catano
Malta It is a tiny, sunny archipelago in the center of the vast Mare Nostrum. Bulwark of Christianity Because of great strategic importance, refueling point for millennia of boats and passage ships. Formed by two major islands, Malta and Gozo, and by three uninhabited islets Comino, Cominotto and Filfola is located only nine kilometers from the coast of Sicily: it is also geologically part of the Sicilian underwater continental platform.
Seven thousand years of history and not hear them
In Malta you will find trace of many peoples and ethnic groups that filed on the sea Mediterranean.
A kaleidoscope of cultures, art, languages, Avamposto of Christian Europe through the centuries. Everyone, but everyone, left a mark there: in the millennia they followed each other Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, the Knights of San Giovanni, the Turks, up to the French of Napoleon. Finally, obtained independence from the British in 1964, today Malta is an independent republic. Retracing its complex events and visiting settlements, fortifications, towers, castles, churches is a real journey back in time.
From tMegalithic emples of prehistoric eras – There are 7 archaeological sites – to the Phoenician settlements, large navigators who placed commercial bases here, up to the Carthaginians. And still Malta was for centuries Roman province, then occupied by the Arabs and also passed to Angioini and Aragonese. Until in 1530 it was granted in a fiefdom by‘Emperor and King of Sicily Charles V al Sovereign military order hospital of San Giovanni di Gerusalemmewhich changed its name, in fact, in Order of Malta.
However, Malta’s glory comes mainly from its knightsthe fame with a great Turkish siege of 1565 when the Grand Master of the hospital order of San Giovanni, Jean de La Valette managed, after a strenuous long resistance, to reject the Ottomans. A great military success delivered to the annals of history.
The great siege
THE Knights of this order – recognized by a papal bubble already from the era of Crusader – They were famous for being dedicated to the care of the sick and the defense of the territories of Christianity. The knights strengthened the defensive apparatus of the island, building, among other things, Sant’Elmo, a splendid fortress on the extreme tip of the peninsula de The valley From which you can enjoy a spectacular view of the port of Malta and which today houses the Museum of War, memorabilia and wrecks of ships and military planes. Defense who proved winning when in 1565 the Turks decided to conquer the island, deploying an army of 200 vessels.
“When the Ottoman fleet appeared on the horizon” tells Vincent Zammitlocal historian and great popularizer, author of numerous books and also known as Piero Angela Maltese. “De Vallette ordered the offensive by deploying 600 soldiers. The battle lasted five days and cost the lives of ten Christians and a few hundred Turks. The defense then concentrated between Sant’Elmo and Birgu which was in turn attached. The great siege lasted five months and ended with the victory of Christianity. As a heart, the great master named Birgu the victorious”.
The great siege was a glorious moment in the history of Malta and its order. Even if the Turks after six years tried again. It was the epic battle of Lepanto in which the Ottomans were definitively defeated. Also on this occasion the military strategies of the knights were decisive for the victory.
The fortifications of Malta and Gozo They consist of a series of walls, citadels, fortresses, towers, forts that were built in a very large time span: just say that only 24 coastal towers were active between 1605 and 1720. As many as 90% of them are still standing. In Birgu in particular for fans of military history there are two interesting museums: that of war and naval.
Malta, however, is not just fortifications: Valletta – which takes its name from the great master – It is a very lively capital Where ancient and modern they embrace starting from the symbolic fountain of the tritons that welcomes tourists at the entrance of the capital. Among the many unmissable sumptuous coat of the San Giovanni where the large canvas is also exposed, the only one ever signed by Caravaggio: the take -off of San Giovanni. Then there is the palace of the Grand Master of the Order, whose interiors leave you breathless. And again the imposing palace of the Maltese Parliament, the work of Renzo Piano.
And then the nightlife: clubs, restaurants, fashionable shops give life to the historic center up to the smallest hours.
And finally Mina, the ancient capital: founded by the Phoenicians and nicknamed the City of Silence It was built on a hill in the center of the island. It is said that the apostle Saint Paul naught in Malta, and his preaching began from Mina. It is still one of the best preserved and most fascinating fortified cities in Europe. A labyrinth of streets and alleys inhabited only by three hundred Maltese.
Local wines and gastronomy
Do not miss the meals, sweet ricotta ravioli, a real delight, especially if just released from the oven, the wine bottled on site by the Winery Meridiana, the oil produced with the white pearl of Malta from Ta ‘Xmun Olive Grove.
And then honey, used by local pastry chefs. The unique experience is to participate in the collection of sweet nectar at Golden Island Honey, Masters Apartori. Recalling that the bees, our little friends, play a fundamental role for the protection of the environment and the planet.
www.visitmalta.com