Malta 4/17-25/2026

Valletta, Malta

Valletta has been built on a peninsula in the central eastern part of Malta and has a population of just over 6000 people. Valletta is named after the French Grandmaster Jean Parisot De La Valette who headed the defense of Malta from the Ottoman invasion in 1565. The entire city of Valletta has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Valletta boasts many buildings from the 16th century, mostly baroque architecture that was built by the Knights of St. John.

The Knights came to Malta in 1530 after they were evicted from their earlier home on Rhodes by the Turks in 1522 and were noblemen from the most important families of Europe, with their mission to protect the Catholic faith against the Muslim forces. Using Malta as their new base, the Knights continued to fight against the Turks and especially the Barbary pirates. Unhappy to see the order resettled, Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, sent an invasion force of about 40,000 men to besiege Malta. Despite having a small army of 6,000 soldiers, half of which are civilians and only 500 or so were Knights, the Turks were unable to siege the island. After defending Malta from the Ottomans, the Knights turned Malta into a fortress that befitted a military Order and built a new capital city worthy of noblemen.

Our hotel was right in the heart of Valletta and very easy to get into the town. Lots of walking uphill, so we continue to get in our steps. The rooftop restaurant and bar gave us terrific views in the morning for breakfast and sunsets in the evening.

Our first day was on our own and we chose to go to the Grand Masters Palace. The last time we were here we just got a few sneak peaks in. A lovely day, great lunch and watching the world go by. The first pics are of a small chapel under renovation. Lots of churches and chapels here.

The Grandmaster's Palace, officially known as The Palace, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built between the 16th and 18th centuries as the palace of the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798, and was also known as the Magisterial Palace. Wikipedia

This was the stable. Horses had some pretty cool digs!

Our Lady of Victory Church

Gozo

Gozo is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of 21 that make up the Maltese archipelago. Inhabited for thousands of years, it shows evidence of historic immigration and rule by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Sicilians, French and British, among others. It’s known for its Neolithic Ġgantija Temple ruins, rural hiking paths, beaches and scuba-diving sites. ― Google

After a short ferry ride to the island, we spent the day exploring the island with our tour guide, Matthew. We started out at The Basilica of the Madonna ta’ Pinu, officially known as the National Shrine Basilica of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu, is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Gozo, Malta. It is located in the peaceful countryside near the village of Għarb and is deeply cherished by the Maltese people.

The basilica is a Marian sanctuary dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is widely known as a place of prayer, healing, and miracles, attracting pilgrims from Malta and from many parts of the world who come seeking spiritual comfort and intercession.

The history of Ta’ Pinu dates back to the 16th century, when a small chapel already stood on the site. In 1883, a local woman reported hearing the voice of the Virgin Mary calling her to pray, an event that led to a rapid growth in devotion. The present basilica was constructed between 1920 and 1932, and in 1935 it was declared a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XI.

The top left picture is Carmela Grima, the woman who heard the voice of the Virgin Mary. The church is located on a majestic hill on the island.

There are walls covered in casts, notes and pictures from those who asked for healing. The picture of the plane that was carrying the pope to Malta, had engine trouble, and landed safely, considered a miracle attributed to the prayers of the church.

From there we went to the coast, and saw where the wedding scene of Kal Drogo and Daenerys from Game of Thrones.

We then were treated to a homemade lunch by Annie. What a great experience down by the salt ponds. Lovely way to spend lunchtime!

To end our day, we visited the Gozo Citadel, which had spectacular views.

The Cathedral of the Assumption - Gozo Cathedral

The top right is a painting to give the cathedral a dome. It is amazing to see it from all angles. I had no idea it was 'fake".

St George's Basilica

Today was on our own, so we did laundry in the morning, had a nice lunch, then waited for the cruise tours to head back to their ships and went to one of the most magnificent baroque buildings in Valletta, the Co-Cathedral of St. John. St. John’s Cathedral is as impressive as St. Marks Basilica on the inside, but the outside is so plain that we weren’t sure if we were at the right place at first glance. It was the religious seat for the Knights of St. John, who enriched it with the finest artifacts of that time. The cathedral's interior is extremely ornate, with carved stone walls, painted vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of John the Baptist. The most impressive is the marble floor which is composed of nearly 400 tombstones of Knights and officers of the Order. Each tombstone is inlaid by a colored, marble slab bearing the crest, coat-of-arms and epitaph of the noble knight.

The pictures do not do it justice. The Caravaggio paintings of John the Baptist are incredible.

Our Lady of Victory Church

Rabat and Mdina

We began our day with a hands-on pastizzi making experience where we tasted Malta's famous flaky, savory pastries filled with ricotta cheese or curried peas. It is a pretty labor-intensive process and very interesting. These pastries kept the people from starving during a famine and continues being part of their cultural history.

We then meandered our way around Rabat, starting with the catacombs dating back to the Roman times with earliest evidence of Christianity and Judaism in Malta.

The foundling wheel was used to deliver bastard children to the church to be raised.

This was another filming of Game of Thrones - where Ned and Jory got attacked by Jaime.

Mickey- an honorary knight!

This is the smallest residence in Mdina

We ended our day at St Paul's Co-Cathedral. While it is a beautiful church, it doesn't compare to St John's. I recommend seeing this one first. Legend has it that St Paul was shipwrecked in Malta and was bitten by a viper. Expected to die, he shook off the creature into a fire and suffered no harm. To this day, there are no venomous snakes in Malta reinforcing the legend.