Estimates of Malta’s Catholic population range from 80% to 98%. Even at that lower figure, this is a country with a lot of Catholics. And it has spectacular churches to support their practice. No matter what city I went to, there was always a gorgeous church, or many of them, depending on the size of the city. Valletta, the capital, alone has 28 churches, in a city that you can easily walk from end to end in under an hour. But even smaller cities seem to have more than enough to tend to the religious needs of a total national population of just over half a million. Read about the top five churches in Malta >
Tag Archives: Malta
Passionate Art From a Passionate Man: Caravaggio’s Best Works
His art was as enthralling as his life. His paintings, always on canvas, were revolutionary. A master of chiaroscuro and realism, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio ushered in a dramatic new style of art in the late 1500s and early 1600s that mesmerized some and appalled others, but which established him as one of the leading Baroque artists of his era. How he found time to create such an impressive œuvre amazes me: Caravaggio spent much of his time brawling, carousing, and bouncing around the Mediterranean, from his hometown of Milan to Rome to Naples to Malta to Sicily and back to Italy, being imprisoned, fleeing from a death sentence and warrants for his arrest for manslaughter and assault, and being expelled from the Knights of Malta after a membership of only half a year. And he did all of that by the time he died under mysterious circumstances at age 38. He left behind an impressive canon that easily established himself as one of my favorite artists—but one who was nearly forgotten for centuries. Read about my top five works by Caravaggio >
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Tiny Valletta’s Big Churches
One of Europe’s smallest countries in terms of both size and population, the island nation of Malta has a disproportionately large abundance of everything from striking architecture to a complex and outstanding cuisine. Its deep history has seen a seemingly endless parade of foreign powers attacking, invading, and controlling it over the centuries. At its heart, the capital of Valletta houses only about 6,000 people. This fantastic walled peninsula city, surrounded on three sides by blue bays and harbors of the Mediterranean Sea, is crammed with a hefty number of gorgeous churches, maybe for all those who were trying to pray away the latest conquerors. Read about the top five churches in Valletta >
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Going Green Around the World
With spring almost at the doorstep for many of us, we begin to think of shedding extra layers of thick clothing and weatherproof boots, stowing away our rock salt and shovels, and not having to de-ice our cars every morning. Buds will soon appear, and gray will morph into green bursting all around us, bringing with it all signs of rebirth and new life. Of course, nature doesn’t hold a monopoly on green; there are plenty of nonliving objects that are green that you can see and fall in love with all year. Read about the world’s top five greens >
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Valletta’s Ambrosia Lives Up to Expectations of Its Name’s Connotations
I had spent a full week in Malta, that small Mediterranean island nation with a fascinating history, alluring beaches and architecture, and, very importantly, an outstanding, complex cuisine, served with aplomb at such stellar restaurants as Legligin Wine Bar, Palazzo Preca, and Capistrano. For my last night here, I headed to Ambrosia in the capital, Valletta. I figured that a restaurant named for the food of the Greek gods, with the promise of conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever partook of it, had to be good. And, to no surprise, it did not disappoint. Read more >
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Dine Like a Knight at Palazzo Preca in Valletta, Malta
When the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, more easily referred to as the Knights of St. John, arrived in Malta in 1530, they began a prolific 250-year rule, during which time they famously defended their new homeland against a three-month siege by the Turks in 1565, dealt a fatal blow to the Ottoman navy three months later, and built the city of Valletta, filling it with elaborate churches, grid-pattern streets, and sumptuous palaces as their homes. One of those 16th-century palaces has been converted into the Palazzo Preca Restaurant, where the exceptional food, wine, service, and atmosphere combine to form a truly memorable dining experience. Read more >
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A Decade of Fine Dining at Capistrano in Valletta, Malta
On my first night in Valletta as a Maltese culinary abecedarian, I devoured a three-hour, eight-course dinner at Legligin Wine Bar. Instantly hooked on Maltese food, I spent the next week eating my way through this small country that’s big on flavors. And it didn’t get much better than at Capistrano, where, over the course of the past 10 years, the flawless quality and presentation of the food has been expertly paired with the sharp, perfectly paced service and an attractive décor. Read more >
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Skeletons and Skulls That Will Keep You Up All Night
As Halloween approaches, children — and more than a few adults — are deciding on their costume for this spooky holiday of ghosts, goblins, candy, and horror flicks. Skeletons have always been a staple costume, whether it’s a glow-in-the-dark bodysuit variety or a mask or makeup job largely hidden by an oversized hood on a Grim Reaper outfit. As for the other 364 days of the year, real ones have long been put on display for the devout to revere, and fake ones for Mexican communities to celebrate on the Day of the Dead. Skeletons and skulls have been depicted in art or gravestones for centuries as a symbol of our finite time on earth, fighting a guaranteed losing battle against the sand hourglass. They could be positively frightening (say, in the promotional poster for the movie Evil Dead 2) or rather amusing (as in a Scooby-Doo episode). However you react to them, they invariably promise the same denouement: The end is always near. Read more about the top five skeletons and skulls in the world >
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Big Flavors in Little Malta: Legligin Wine Bar’s Incomparable Tasting Menu
Before a recent trip to Malta, I had never sampled Maltese food. It was a cuisine that simply didn’t exist where I lived, and one that had never crossed my mind to seek out. But after a nearly three-hour dinner at Legligin Wine Bar on my first night in the country’s capital of Valletta, I was completely addicted. Malta’s culinary offerings reflect the country’s complicated history, during which this archipelago was occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Muslims, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John, French, and British, culminating in a complex and outstanding cuisine that this superior restaurant deftly and deliciously captures. Read more about Legligin >
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Mediterranean Luxury at Malta’s Hotel Phoenicia
Since it opened in 1947, Hotel Phoenicia has been one of the foremost hotels in the Maltese Islands, and I was fortunate enough to spend a week here during my visit to this Mediterranean archipelago. From the second I arrived to the second I checked out, the entire staff effortlessly provided warm and accommodating service amid the resplendent setting, maintaining a tradition of excellence that has been the hallmark of the Phoenicia for 70 years. Read more about this preeminent hotel >
Stephen Travels 