It is important to know that Malta is a small European country located off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. This place gives the island a warm climate for most of the year. The Republic of Malta is composed of 7 different islands. It has an incredibly rich history, and was first established in the year 5200 B.C.

The islands have changed hands many times over the millennia, which has led to a very diverse cultural background. Visitors can explore the past in many of the places of Malta that will captivate you.

La Valletta

Capital of Malta thanks to the famous defeat of the Ottoman Turks. It is built on a peninsula in the eastern part of the country, with a population of around 6000 inhabitants, the whole city is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

It is located at the top of Mount Sceberras and has wonderful examples of baroque architecture from the 16th century. Highlights include the Cathedral of San Juan and other  bastions built by the Knights of San Juan. Valletta is Malta’s largest port city and from the upper and lower Barrakka Gardens you get incredible views of the Grand Harbor.

Hagar Qim

This temple forms part of the “Megalithic Temples of Malta” on the World Heritage list. One of the prehistoric chambers of Hagar Qim has an elliptical hole that is cut in alignment with the dawn of the Summer Solstice. At dawn, on the first day of summer, the rays of the sun pass through this hole and illuminate a block of stone inside the chamber.

The temple of Hagar Qim is located on the top of a hill overlooking the sea and the islet of Fifla, not more than 2 km southwest of the village of Qrendi. The building is formed by a series of rooms in the form of C, known as apses.

These apses are securely protected, much more than in other temple sites, using walls and slabs with square holes cut as entrances.

Malta National Aquarium

Opened in 2013, this is a glass and metal building with star-shaped sea hanger, in a sublime position in the cape of Qawra, with blue views. It’s great fun, with huge tanks showing environments that mimic the waters around the islands. There is a 12 meter underwater tunnel that allows visitors to walk through a huge tank as well as another smaller tunnel to crawl around.

It is important to emphasize that inside Malta is a place called Mosta. Its  main tourist attraction is its church. If something catches the attention of the visitors in this country is the disproportionate size of its churches in relation to the surface in kilometers of the localities.

ALFA