At the Malta Altar

By Nancy Alsop on April 10th 2011

Darrell, our improbably named but exceptionally erudite tour guide, is telling me in a cheery aside about a recent stoning episode in which he was involved. His chipper anecdotal style is, you quickly realise, not as callously dark as it might first appear; for Darrell regularly takes time out of his historical walking tour schedule to moonlight as an extra in films shot on the small island of Malta, of which, he tells me, there are many. “The island is very useful for filming scenes that need to look Middle Eastern, so directors can get the right look without the attendant problems that can arise from shooting in those countries” he explains. It’s a smart move – as we survey the harbour from the be-cannoned Barrakka Gardens, which occupy the elevated ramparts of St Peter and St Paul, there is a distinct flavour of the east, despite the fact that this tiny speck of an island in the Mediterranean is in fact halfway between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, directly south of Sicily. And the project for which Darrell joined the throngs of angry rock hurlers? Murder on the Orient Express, he says with the nonchalance of an old pro, for while this elicits nods of approval from me, in fact it ranks among the lower profile films that Darrell’s face has graced – the eagle-eyed could also spot him in epic Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator and Troy.

For today, however, he contents himself with conducting us around Valletta, a World Heritage site and the capital of the island, which is so diminutive in scale that it’s become a national joke that nowhere in the country is more than a 20-minute drive from anywhere else. And while stoning – or violence of any kind – is no longer standard practice in Malta, the country, says Darrell, has known more than its fair share of the tyranny of warfare; the Greeks and Phoenicians once haggled on its dusty flagstones, the pathologically expansionist Romans marched through its stone bastions, the Christians defeated the Turks in a bid for the country at Lepanto, Napoleon invaded, and latterly it was an outpost of the British Empire. And if that weren’t enough, it also took a disproportionate battering during the Second World War; its strategic position meant that the air forces and navies of Italy and Germany tried their strength against those of the Allied Forces here – and to devastating effect.

Its long history as the prize in a tug-of-war between heavier weight powers does mean that Malta’s capital remains seductively eclectic thanks to the myriad of cultural influences. Although there were inevitable architectural casualties of war, the bequests of The Knights of the Order of St John – the powerful Catholic order of nobleman charged with defending the faith against attacks from the Ottoman Turks – are pervadingly dominant and remain largely in tact, a boon since they were chiefly designed by a protégé of Michelangelo almost five centuries ago. The crowning achievement is the 1572 majestic Baroque masterpiece that is St John’s Cathedral, whose austere exterior belies the gilded walls inside, carved religious reliefs and inlaid marble floors, largely donated by the Order’s Grand Masters, whose rank in the Catholic Church was surpassed only by that of the Pope.

Thrillingly, the notorious Caravaggio – on the run after he was suspected of murder, and had accrued numerous charges of brawling in Rome - took refuge with the Knights, from whom he sought pardon. All went uncharacteristically smoothly for the artist for a spell; the Grand Master Alof da Wignacourt was so impressed with his work that he inducted him as a knight, and it was during this time that Caravaggio produced The Beheading of John The Baptist, considered one oh his finest works. However, in keeping with his more transgressive tendencies, in 1608 the artist was once more arrested and imprisoned before later escaping the island, a fugitive once more. But whatever moral qualms the knights may have had, Caravaggio’s masterpiece still hangs proudly as an altarpiece, drawing aesthetes and art historians alike, who marvel at the exemplarily dramatic chiaroscuro that came to define Caravaggio’s work; it is also the only painting the artist inscribed with a signature – macabre and written in the blood spilt from the Baptist’s throat.

Once sated with the Baroque, visitors should make for a cooling trip across the impossibly blue harbour to the Three Cities, as dubbed by Napoleon himself, via daghajsa, the traditional Maltese boat. Here you’ll see Malta’s biggest export, limestone, put to its best use, the gleaming grey buildings piled high on snaking, steep cobblestone streets. It is well worth trying the string of harbour-side restaurants here, where you can tuck into typically Mediterranean dishes, with lots of fresh fish, grilled veg, olives and cured meats. Also worth knowing about are the pastizzi – pastry filled parcels of pea or (infinitely superior) ricotta, which are the national snack, available at corner pastizzerias and most bars.

Worth adding to the to-do list if you happen to be there at an opportune moment, is a saint’s festival. The Maltese are split by a friendly rivalry: St Augustine versus St Benedictine. Throughout May and October, the two factions battle it out with festivals of riotous colour, music and dancing each bidding to out-do each other with more and more lavish fireworks in the evenings, which when you really begin to see how close-knit this small island really is. Children wander freely amid the assembled on-lookers, safe in the knowledge that parents and grandparents are never far away.

All of which has meant an incremental year-on-year increasing tourism trade, which is evidenced by the numerous hotels that have sprung up on the island. You will, however, still find that most offer that small, village intimacy in abundance, and nowhere more so than the Xara Palace Relais and Chateaux in the city of Mdina. Don’t let the grand name put you off. This delightful hotel is tightly run by Nicky Paris, whose passion for the romantic 17^th-century hilltop palazzo is evident. Lovingly restored to its former medieval glory, the hotel’s rooms each have their own individual charm. Furnishings throughout the hotel are sourced personally by the owners; even the headboards are re-modelled from antique mantelpieces. The fortified city in which it stands is known as The Silent City, and a quick stroll around its high-walled streets during the afternoon’s siesta will quickly explain why. The hushed environs invite quiet and cool on hot days, but are more than a little eerie at night.

Xara Palace’s ground-level trattoria serves up a simple menu of antipasti, pasta and pizza, but it’s the upstairs de Mondion restaurant that’s earned the hotel some serious gastro plaudits. Rated the best restaurant in Malta by The Definitively Good Guide 2008, de Mondion’s terrace offers 180-degree panoramic views of the island in a relaxing and genial setting. De Mondion is award-winning chef Kevin Bonello’s pride and joy, who comes from good stock: the talented chef has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc, the success of their tutorage clearly evident in the considered menu of local fare. Prices are steep, so consider it a treat. But much like Malta itself, you will be back.

Fact Box

The Xara Palace Relais & Châteaux, Misrah il-Kunsill, Mdina, MDN 1050, Malta, xarapalace.com.mt, 0035 621 450 560

Room only rates at The Xara Palace start from €165.00 per room, per night including VAT.

Air Malta has around 40 scheduled services per week from the UK and Ireland to Malta. Flights depart from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham International to Malta International Airport. airmalta.com

For more information, or to book a tour guide contact Malta Tourism Authority on 020 8877 6990, or go to www.visitmalta.com

At the Malta Altar

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