2 On the Road: Valletta, Malta

Our excursion was Malta Scenic Drive - Witness the natural and cultural beauty of Malta, from sweeping bays to fishing villages, on a panoramic excursion. You will meet your guide at your berth and drive to the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk, where colorful traditional Maltese luzzu fishing boats bob with the currents in the small harbor. Continue to Żurrieq, one of Malta’s oldest towns, for a dramatic view of the Blue Grotto, a series of yawning sea caverns, and the tiny, flat-top rocky island of Filfla; a rest stop for many migrating birds as they journey between Africa and Europe. Continue into the rural reaches of the island toward the medieval fortified city of Mdina, Malta’s former capital. From here your route takes you toward the coast again, passing the resort area of Xemxija Bay and St. Paul’s Bay, where the patron saint of the island is said to have been shipwrecked in 60 AD.

We were docked in the Grand Harbour just to the north of where the topmost blue dot is on this map. Grand Harbour is the largest in the Mediterranean with five creeks feeding it.

Fort St Angelo across the harbor.

Tip of the Senglea peninsula across the harbor.

Cruise ship in dry dock.

Holland America's MS Volendam cruise ship is also in port.

All three of the fortified peninsulas on the other side of the harbor.

Malta is an archipelago of three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, more or less right in the middle of the Mediterranean. Virtu Ferries is a Maltese ferry company that operates high-speed ferries between Valletta and Pozzallo, Italy on the island of Sicily. There are 11 ferries operating in the Maltese Islands, departing from 7 different ports in Malta and Gozo. These ferries serve both local routes within the islands and the Sicily ferry route.

Gathering of large yachts across the harbor.

Our excursion starts off skirting the old, fortified city of Valletta, but quickly moves out across the island of Malta visiting the towns of Marsaxlokk, Żurrieq, Mdina, before heading toward the NE coastal resort area of Xemxija Bay and St. Paul’s Bay.

Fortified walls of Valletta.

This day was the feast day to commemorate St. Paul’s shipwreck on Malta in 60 AD, an event described in the Bible that is central to the island’s Christian identity. The main celebrations are held in Valletta, with a solemn mass at St. Paul’s Shipwreck Church, processions, and traditional band marches.

This is the flag for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Its Ministerial Council, the central decision-making and governing body, convened once a year in the country holding the Chairmanship. In 2024, that country was Malta, and the Ministerial Council was on its last day of meetings when we were there.

Our Lady of Sorrow Chapel is surrounded by a cemetery.

Prickly pear cacti remind me of Arizona.

Santwarju tal-Madonna ta’ Pompei, or The Church of Our Lady of Pompei, is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. Sorry for the blurry photo but that is what you get through a bus window. Construction started in 1890 but there have been at least two additions since that time.

Looks like crop cultivation requires the removal of lots of rocks. There are rock walls like this all around the island.

This was the only vineyard I saw but they grow Zibibbo grapes, which thrive in the island's mineral-rich soil. These vineyards are known for their distinctive character and contribute to the production of Maltese wines.

This statue in a roundabout was built in 2022.

Not sure what saint this statue is for. We drove through a tunnel that went under the airport runway. It was completed in 2022 and is 650 meters long.

The monument Our Lady of Mount Carmel sits on one corner of a roundabout in the town of Zurrieq.

Malta does not currently have a crematorium, despite a growing demand and new legislation allowing cremation. Families must arrange for cremations abroad, which can be expensive.

Roadside memorial

The bus stopped so we could get out to walk to the Blue Grotto, series of sea caves located on the southern coast of Malta, near the village of Żurrieq. There are many Blue Grottoes in the world, all of them are sea caves. The Blue Grotto in the Island of Capri is probably the most well-known and is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The tiny, flat-top rocky island of Filfla is a rest stop for many migrating birds as they journey between Africa and Europe.

We walked down the hill and finally the crowds at the railing parted so we could get a look at the grotto.

When I was a child, the neighbor across the street had an oval that he would run his horse and cart around. Horse racing has been practiced in Malta since the 1800s, with the first races taking place on the island in 1832.

Siġġiewi Church of St Nicholas was built between 1675 and 1693. On the pedestal of this statue, made in 1732, is a prayer in Latin which implores the saint to bless the fields which the faithful laboriously till.

We passed by the left side of the church on a very narrow road that really wasn't made for buses.

Medieval fortified city of Mdina, Malta’s former capital. Mdina is perched high on a hilltop in the middle of the island, so it offers panoramic views.

The dome we see in this photo is the Rotunda of Mosta, the third largest unsupported dome in the world. The first is the Vatican, the second is St Peters Cathedral in London. It is a prominent Roman Catholic parish church and basilica located in Mosta, Malta. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and was constructed between the 1830s and 1860s, designed by architect Giorgio de Vasse. It was bombed in WWII, but the bomb skidded across the floor without exploding.

Interesting architecture.

St. Paul’s Island or Selmunett is an uninhabited island just off the Malta coast. The Bible says that the sailing ship carrying Apostle Paul on his way to Rome was stranded there. Saint Paul converted the Maltese to Christianity. They named the island off the coast St. Paul’s Island in his honor. There is a statue of St. Paul on the island, which rises about 21 meters out of the water.

Lots of new construction.

I saw what looked like a huge retaining wall in the distance.

We stopped for a restroom break at a pub called the Cheeky Monkey. We were given a choice of a bottle of water or a bottle of soda. Of course there was a long line for the ladies room. We finally took over the guys room.

Looking out over Salina Bay and the empty, offseason swimming pools.

The structure on the peninsula across the bay is Torri tal-Għallis, or Għallis Tower is a small watchtower in Salina. It was completed in 1658

Looking down the other side of the bay.

The Msida Skate Park is in the middle of an oval roundabout.

The Worker's Memorial in Msida celebrates the creation of the General Workers’ Union on October 5, 1980.

Porte des Bombes, or Bombs' Gate, is an ornamental arched gate in Floriana. It was originally built in 1721 as an advanced gate outside of the main defensive walls. It was enlarged with the construction of a second archway in 1868. The ramparts on either side of the gate have since been demolished, leaving the gate looking more like a triumphal arch.

Sorry so crooked but I turned to get a photo of the back side of the gates. Much plainer on this side.

Originally build to honor the dead of World War I, the Malta War Memorial was inaugurated in 1938, but later it was rededicated to include those killed in the second World War.

Our tour at an end, we were walking back to the ship when we noticed these rat guards on the ship. Love the cat design.

Later I headed back into town and went up the Barrakka Lift.

The Saluting Battery where they fire the cannons twice a day.

Just because I took the lift above the fortifications, doesn't mean the area is level.

The man that Valletta is named for. Jean "Parisot" de Valette was a French nobleman and 49th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from August 21, 1557, to his death in 1568. During the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, he organized the defenses of Malta, participated in the siege, and helped the island successfully fend off the Turks. He supervised the building of the new city of Valletta in 1566 during the lengthy siege and personally laid the foundation stone.

Knisja Santa Katerina tal-Italja, or Church of Saint Catherine of Italy, was built in 1576 by the Italian knights of St John to serve as their church.

Il-Berġa ta' Kastilja, or the Auberge de Castille is a small hotel built in the Baroque style in the 1740s. It sits at the highest point of Valletta and overlooks Floriana and the Grand Harbour area.