Passaggi, October 2025

The KM Malta Airlines In-Flight Magazine

ISSUE 12

October 2025

PG 8

Experience the historic harbour town of Birgu by candlelight PG 58

Island art is alive and kicking: from ceramics to celebrity pictures

PG 87

The flavours of Maltese herbs: a story of wellness, culture and cuisine

in collaboration with

BEHIND ????????

PASSAĠĠI

ON THE COVER Thyme bushes at Majjistral Nature and History Park

MEET THE TEAM DESIGN TBWA\ANG

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Fiona Galea Debono

Alexandra Pace Jonathan Borg Julian Vassallo Lorenzo Agius Michaele Zammit Royal Malta Yacht Club

Jonathan Borg

SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TBWA\ANG

CONTRIBUTORS Adriana Bishop Charlene Vella Claude Zammit Trevisan Coryse Borg David Carabott Karen Mugliett Lea Hogg MICAS Ramona Depares Thomas Camilleri

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN PASSAĠĠI? For advertising opportunities, get in touch with TBWA\ANG on passaggi@tbwa-ang.com or (+356) 2131 0608 Abigail: abigail@tbwa-ang.com or (+356) 9929 0518

HOW TO PRONOUNCE PASSAĠĠI

/pasˈsadʒi/ Here’s the breakdown: • /p/ as in pass • /a/ as in art • /sˈ/ as in sun (with stress on the following syllable) • /dʒ/ as the sound of the j in 'judge' (geminated or doubled sound) • /i/ as in eat The word passaġġi means 'passages' in English.

The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or copied by any means without the written consent of the publisher. Editorial features and opinions expressed in Passaġġi do not necessarily reflect the views of KM Malta Airlines, the publisher, or the editorial team. Both KM Malta Airlines and the publisher do not accept responsibility for commercial and advertising content. Although the authors and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this magazine was correct before going to print, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result f rom negligence, accident, or any other cause. Special thanks to KM Malta Airlines and VisitMalta for the provision of photographic material.

Printed in Malta by Gutenberg Press. All magazine rights are reserved by KM Malta Airlines.

TBWA\ANG, 3rd Floor, Professional Building, Sliema Road, Gżira GZR 1633 Malta \ (+356) 2131 0608 \ tbwa-ang.com

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Pas

Welcome to The KM Malta Airlines In-Flight Magazine

David Curmi

Executive Chairman KM Malta Airlines As autumn unfolds, we are delighted to share exciting news with you. KM Malta Airlines has been officially recognised as an APEX Four Star™ Major Airline for 2026; one of the world’s most prestigious distinctions, awarded solely on verified passenger feedback. Over one million flights from more than 600 airlines worldwide were rated, with only the top carriers earning this honour.

Achieving this recognition less than 18 months after our inaugural flight on 31st March 2024 is a remarkable milestone. It reflects our commitment to delivering a safe, reliable and customer-focused travel experience, and underscores our ambition to continue building a national airline of choice for the Maltese Islands.

Looking ahead to the festive season, we are pleased to confirm an additional 62 flights across our network to support peak Christmas and New Year demand.

Popular routes, including London Heathrow, Munich, Paris CDG, and Zurich, will benefit from increased frequencies, offering more flexibility for passengers reuniting with loved ones or enjoying a winter getaway.

We have also increased our MaltaAmsterdam operations from fourweekly services to five per week, with the addition of a Friday service for the period November 2025 to March 2026.

We also remind passengers of our Bid for Business option, which allows Economy Class ticket holders the chance to upgrade to Business Class before departure. Successful

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bidders can look forward to greater comfort, premium airport services and gourmet meals on board – the perfect way to elevate your journey.

Meanwhile, our new self-service SkyBux redemption on the KM Rewards website has been a resounding success since launch.

Hundreds of members have already used their SkyBux to book flights or add extras such as seat selection and excess baggage. No matter how many (or how few) SkyBux you hold, they can now be applied towards reducing the cost of your purchases through KM Rewards.

As always, we greatly value your feedback. After each flight, we invite you to complete our short survey by scanning the QR code on PG 98 of this magazine. Your insights help us improve every stage of your journey, from booking to landing.

Thank you for choosing KM Malta Airlines. We look forward to welcoming you on board this autumn and throughout the festive season, and we share our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to KM Malta Airlines being recognised as an APEX Four Star Major Airline.

Fiona Galea Debono Editor

As autumn stealthily approaches, we look back on a frenetic, fun-filled summer lived to the full – only to realise that the upcoming season is just as vibrant.

October bursts with a packed cultural calendar, from grand operas in Gozo to Valletta’s all-night festival of art, music and theatre, award-winning exhibitions, fiery flamenco and epic concerts. With so much happening, it’s little wonder these events fill the pages of this issue of Passaġġi.

The month opens with Notte Bianca – now a staple in Malta’s cultural scene, but once a bold idea almost 20 years ago.

The transformation of Valletta’s streets and squares, churches and palaces into a city-wide stage for this free festival was groundbreaking at the time. Today, it stands as one of the capital’s most anticipated annual highlights.

Lorenzo Agius, who returns to his roots with his first major retrospective on the island.

And of course, no issue of Passaġġi would be complete without celebrating Malta’s culinary traditions.

This month’s food section explores the healing qualities of flavourful local herbs, the golden gooey sweetness of Maltese honey, bold cocoa celebrations, and fish dishes inspired by seaside living – a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds.

So, whether you’re seeking art, history, food, or simply new ways to enjoy the islands, autumn promises plenty to discover. Wherever this season takes you, we hope these pages inspire you to make it as memorable as the last.

Until next time, keep travelling, keep tasting, keep exploring.

Shortly after, across the harbour, Birgufest casts its spell as thousands of candles illuminate the historic streets of the Città Vittoriosa, creating an atmosphere as magical as it is timeless.

And here’s your invitation to celebrate the written word at Malta’s biggest book festival coming up next month; and to meet the guardians of the National Archives, who, for 25 years, have safeguarded precious records of the island’s past.

For something a little more offbeat, step inside one of Malta’s quirkiest house museums and immerse yourself in a richly decorated Victorian interior, far from the usual tourist trail.

But October isn’t only about history and heritage. Hollywood glamour and London’s fashion scene land in Malta through the lens of photographer

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Contents 8

ISLANDS 8

Birgu, under my skin Journey through a historic harbour city

TRAVEL 16

Paris: where love and light collide The French connection could be a lifelong romance

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Experiencing the pulse of Manila A city that never sleeps

HERITAGE 25

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A most curious museum This family home displays Malta’s decorative past

HISTORY 29

Guardians of Malta’s memories Meet the Friends of the National Archives

CULTURE 34

This month’s must-see events Autumn in Malta is anything but quiet

ART 42

Confronting the man-made Steel public sculpture blends art, nature and technology

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American icon in Malta The legacy of Milton Avery arrives at MICAS

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GOZO 52

You won’t leave empty-handed Gozo’s traditional markets

ACTION 54

Golfing with heritage A green oasis in Marsa

MADE IN MALTA 58

Some like it dirty Getting creative with clay

PETS 64

Train journeys through Italy with a poodle Beyond Rome for Roy

PEOPLE 67

Look at me The face behind iconic celebrity images

FOOD 74

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15 years of sweet success Dip into the Ħamrun Chocolate Festival

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Nectar of the gods Maltese honey is an important culinary tradition

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A taste of wellness Cooking with Maltese herbs

AIRLINE NEWS 91

Flight, company and destination information All you need to know about flying with KM Malta Airlines

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ISLANDS

Words by

Claude Zammit Trevisan Claude is a place marketing specialist, passionate about Malta’s heritage, sailing and sharing the island’s spirit with the world.

Birgu, under my skin A personal journey through Malta’s historic harbour city – for those who wish to understand the essence of the island and the true soul of the Grand Harbour.

One of my earliest childhood memories is visiting Birgu’s Tuesday market with my mother and grandmother. I must have been five or six, and I can still remember the bus stopping us in front of the landmark Café Riche, with its chariot sign perched on a wide green door flanked by bougainvillea.

I recall the taste of pink sugar-coated almond sweets and milk tea served in Pyrex glasses, and the smiles of elderly women who would chat with us while we sat in the indoor garden of this magical place.

Birgu is set on a promontory. You do not pass through Birgu to reach somewhere else; you go there with intention. This geography has given Birgu a strong sense of place. Its surrounding sea has shaped destinies through constant exchange and influence, yet its urban fabric and traditions have been better preserved here than elsewhere.

Years later, as a young graduate fascinated by Maltese history, I was introduced to local historian Lorenzo Zahra from Birgu. His stories of Grand Master La Valette, who defended Malta from a fierce Ottoman siege in the long, hot summer of 1565, fired my imagination and deepened my longing to know more about this wonderful city called Birgu.

Café Riche still stands – chariot and all. The market is still held every Tuesday. And the statue of Vittoriosa in the main square, which Lorenzo would proudly point out as a symbol of victory that earned Birgu the title of Città Vittoriosa, remains in its original spot.

Lorenzo eventually introduced me to Birgu homeowners and encouraged me to acquire a

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house there. I took the plunge, moved in soon after, and never looked back. Twenty-five years on, I cannot call myself a true local, but I feel safe in saying that those born here have taken me in as one of their own.

Names like Laurence, Lorenzo and Wenzu abound, reflecting devotion to the patron saint, St Lawrence.

Equally common is Dominic, in honour of St Dominic

St Lawrence Collegiate Church at night.

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Traditional water taxis.

and his church. Both churches are well worth visiting, along with the charming stairway beside St Lawrence Church, leading into the main square, and the intriguing Inquisitor’s Palace opposite St Dominic’s.

These two patron saints are celebrated with great pomp and huge enthusiasm every August. The soul of Birgu truly comes alive during this festive month, and anyone should witness at least one Birgu feast in their lifetime. It is a unique anthropological experience, where the city turns red for St Lawrence and blue for St Dominic during week-long festivities.

In truth, Birgu is festive all year round. Most houses carry flagpoles, and huge flags often fly majestically above the city. On starry evenings, the sight of the city lit up with rooftops crowned by colourful flags is unforgettable.

The art of sailmaking – once vital when the city was the Knights’ stronghold – seems to have transformed into flag-bearing, still practised with passion today.

Maritime traditions give this city more than flags. Malta’s very own gondola, the dgħajsa, once a common water taxi until the closure of the British naval base in 1979, can still be found today. Trips from Birgu to Valletta and back on the dgħajsa, steered by a barklor or gondolier, remain a daily occurrence. They add an almost Venetian charm while highlighting Birgu’s closeness to Valletta, separated only by a sheltered stretch of sea.

Malta’s defining moments happened in or around Birgu. From the Great Siege of 1565 to the Santa Marija Convoy of August 1942 – which saved Malta from famine and is still commemorated on Victory Day, September 8th, with a national dgħajsa regatta – to the closure of the British naval base in March 1979, Birgu has been the stage or backdrop of history. No wonder the atmosphere is so charged.

History continues to be written here. I vividly remember, as many of my generation do, the massive projection of Malta’s red and white national flag over Fort St Angelo in late April 2004, during the celebrations of Malta’s accession to the European Union.

Birgu, in short, has shaped many chapters of Malta’s story. For me, it lives under my skin.

It has been part of my life since I was a boy.

I yearn for Birgu when I am away, and, like seafarers, I seek safe haven here upon my return to Malta. It is, indeed, a very desirable place to live in, and to visit – for those who wish to understand the essence of Malta and the true soul of the Grand Harbour.

Birgu's winding streets.

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The feast of St Lawrence.

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Birgu by Candlelight Festival Rendez-vous in Birgu this month for the Birgu by Candlelight Festival, from 10th - 11th October.

This communitydriven festival enchants thousands of Maltese and visitors alike, as the city glows with countless candles lighting its streets and squares.

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Must-see sites

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Words by

Heritage Malta The national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage, it is the guardian of over 8,000 years of history.

If this is your first visit to the Maltese Islands, you cannot leave without ticking these sites off your list.

Ta’ Kola Windmill Xagħra, Gozo

Imagine… a bright new morning with just the right wind; a miller letting the locals know by blowing through a triton shell; the villagers bringing their cereals to be ground into flour. Ta’ Kola Windmill is a unique relic of breadmaking in Gozo, transporting you back to such a morning. This 300-year-old building is a living testimony to our forefathers’ way of life, marked with hardships and daily struggles, at a time when bread was the most indispensable food item.

The exhibits inside the windmill belonged to the last miller residing there and were used to operate and maintain the building and milling mechanism.

St Paul’s Catacombs Rabat

Leave the sights and sounds of modern life behind you as you step down into another world – a burial ground from Punic, Roman and Byzantine times, representing the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.

The catacombs form a typical complex of interconnected underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 7th and possibly the 8th century AD. Part of the catacombs was re-utilised during the re-Christianisation of the island, around the 13th century, when an open space was re-cut and used as a Christian shrine decorated with murals.

Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex Ħal Tarxien Have the honour and the privilege of stepping inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Discovered in 1913 by farmer Lorenzo Despott, the Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex consists of four megalithic structures built in the late Neolithic and then re-adapted for use during the Early Bronze Age. The site was excavated between 1915 and 1919 by Sir Themistocles Zammit, Director of Museums at the time. This year marks the 110th anniversary since the first sketches of the site were made by Zammit himself during the initial excavations.

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ISLANDS

Borġ in-Nadur Prehistoric Complex Birżebbuġa If you head down to the fascinating prehistoric site of Għar Dalam, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Borġ in-Nadur, located just 500m away. Excavated in the 1920s by eminent archaeologist Margaret Murray, Borġ in-Nadur yielded crucial information that helped our understanding of facets of Maltese prehistory, which had until then remained problematic, such as the differences between the Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age. Excavations conducted by David Trump in the 1950s uncovered Bronze Age huts, further enhancing the significance of this site.

Fort St Angelo Birgu No other fortress has been engaged with the same intensity in the shaping of Malta’s destiny as Fort St Angelo! Known as Castrum Maris in medieval times, this stronghold was christened as Fort St Angelo by the Knights of the Order of St John, who turned it into their headquarters. They remodelled the building extensively with the construction of a series of artillery platforms that marked the introduction of the bastioned system of defence on these islands. During the British period, the fort served as a shore establishment of the Royal Navy in Malta until the last detachment of foreign forces marched out of its walls in March 1979.

Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum Valletta This year is very special for these two sites, as the National War Museum celebrates the 50th anniversary since its inception and Fort St Elmo commemorates the 10th anniversary since it opened its doors to the public. The splendid, unobstructed views of Grand Harbour, enjoyed today from Fort St Elmo, originally served the purpose for which the star-shaped fort was built – to face and hold back the wrath of the Ottoman armada. Indeed, the fort received the brunt of the Ottoman forces during the Great Siege of 1565, resisting for a month against all odds until finally surrendering on 23rd June.

The National War Museum, located within the fort, covers 7,000 years of Maltese military history from the Bronze Age until Malta’s accession to the EU. Notable artefacts include military armour of the Order of St John and the Ottoman Turks, and Malta’s award for gallantry during World War II – the George Cross.

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Wied il-Mielaħ Window

Salt Pans

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Tal-Mixta Cave

Għasri

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Għarb

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‘Bużbież’ Wild Fennel

Għajnsielem Sannat

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S T P A U L’ S ISLANDS

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Mellieħa

01 Popeye Village

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‘Bajtar tax-Xewk’ Prickly Pears

09 ‘Frawli’ Strawberries 08 Mġarr 05

Mos ‘Merill’ National Bird

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Birgu 9.2km

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Anchor Bay Armier Bay Balluta Bay Delimara Point Fomm ir-Riħ Għadira Bay Għar Lapsi Ġnejna Bay Golden Bay Marsaskala Bay Marsaxlokk Bay Paradise Bay Pretty Bay Salina Bay St George's Bay

Dingli Cliffs

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St Paul's Bay St Peter's Pool St Thomas Bay Wied iż-Żurrieq Xrobb l-Għaġin Blue Lagoon Santa Marija Bay Daħlet Qorrot Dwejra Bay Marsalforn Bay Ramla Bay San Blas Bay Xlendi Bay Xwejni Bay ~ Salt Pans

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‘Lampuki’ Dolphin Fish

INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS IN AND AROUND BIRGU

A cobblestone street in Birgu.

‘Xemx’ Sun

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Birgu Waterfront.

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‘Ħobża tal-Malti’ Maltese Bread

Birgu Qormi

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Buskett

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Marsascala

Luqa

Fort St Angelo.

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Marsaxlokk

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‘Qarnita’ Octopus

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sponsored by

FILFLA ‘Luzzu’ Traditional Fishing Boat

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Montmartre.

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TRAVEL

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TRAVEL

Words by

David Carabott David is a teacher, specialised in mentoring students of different abilities. As a traveller, his target is to visit all the countries in the world. When he is not in Malta or travelling elsewhere, you can find him somewhere in Rome.

Paris: where love and light collide The French capital reveals itself slowly, rewarding those willing to wander, linger and notice. By the end of your trip, you too may not just be leaving a city; you may also leave a part of yourself behind.

The four years I spent studying French drew me to the country’s culture, art, history, romance and charm. The capital, Paris, had lived in my imagination long before I set foot there. When I finally arrived, stepping onto streets I had only read about in textbooks, I realised that no lesson could have prepared me for the poetry, vibrancy, contradictions and secrets of the city.

As the City of Light, it has a brilliance that goes beyond its history, once the beacon of the Enlightenment and later the first European city to glow with gas lamps. As the City of Love, it offers romance at every turn: cobblestone streets,

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TRAVEL

riverside walks along the Seine, the quiet charm of the cafés, the allure of Montmartre, and of course, the Eiffel Tower.

On my first evening, wandering by the Seine, I felt both sides of Paris wrapping around me. The light, in the way the city seemed to glow with life and knowledge; the love, in the way every corner seemed to whisper stories of connection, creativity and history.

A CITY BUILT TO INSPIRE What struck me most about Paris is how vividly alive it feels.

From the daring modernity of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers’ Pompidou Centre to the timeless elegance of centuries-old façades, the city balances tradition and innovation in ways that both surprise and delight. Strolling down its boulevards, past grand apartments and cafés spilling onto the street, one senses a city that never ceases to inspire.

THE MAGIC OF THE ÎLE DE LA CITÉ I spent hours wandering around the Île de la Cité, feeling as though I was crossing centuries, tracing the faint Roman foundations beneath my feet and picturing the countless layers of history rising above.

The soaring spires and flying buttresses of Notre-Dame de Paris, over 800 years old, inspire awe, standing as the most celebrated Gothic masterpiece of the Middle Ages. Nearby, the Conciergerie whispers of darker tales, its halls once housing prisoners of the French Revolution, reminding visitors that the city’s beauty is entwined with its history.

Yet it was Sainte-Chapelle that truly stopped me in my tracks.

When sunlight poured through its stained-glass windows, the entire space became a living kaleidoscope of colour, enveloping me in silence and leaving me in awe.

Recalling the 2019 devastating fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral made me pause – not in sorrow, but in admiration of the city’s resilience. On this little island, I felt that every stone, every archway, was quietly murmuring Paris’s story.

OF BOULEVARDS, ARRONDISSEMENTS AND HIDDEN CORNERS I wandered from one arrondissement to another, each with its own character. The Marais, with its narrow streets, elegant hotels and vibrant Jewish heritage, felt like stepping into a living museum.

The Place des Vosges became my secret haven, a quiet square where symmetry and tucked-away galleries invited me to pause and simply be. There’s a whisper of Paris in the arcades of Place des Vosges, where Victor Hugo penned chapters of Les Misérables. A place where centuries meet under linden canopies, and every footstep feels threaded with stories.

Strolling along bustling boulevards, I felt the pulse of Parisian life, the rhythm of its diverse people and the weight of history mingling in one unforgettable moment.

Paris has a way of layering its stories.

Père Lachaise, Montparnasse and Montmartre cemeteries felt like open-air museums where I paid homage to Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Dalida.

The Paris Catacombs, by contrast, offered a haunting glimpse into the lives of millions of Parisians long gone. Walking beneath the city, lined with neatly arranged bones, I felt a chill, and yet, emerging onto a sunlit boulevard reminded me of the city’s extraordinary balance of light and shadow.

THE SEINE AND ICONIC VIEWS One afternoon, I took a riverboat along the Seine. Seeing Montmartre’s SacréCœur, the Orangerie with Monet’s water lilies, the Place de la Concorde and La Madeleine from the water made the city feel endless. Later, from the Montparnasse Tower observation deck, I watched the sun set over the Eiffel Tower, a moment that captured both the romance and light of Paris.

WALKING THROUGH TIME AND LIGHT One of my favourite walks was from the Champs-Élysées to La Défense, Europe's largest purpose-built business district. By day, the historic Arc de Triomphe leads to the modern lines of the Grande Arche.

By night, the streets glow, and the lights transform boulevards and squares into a sparkling wonderland. I found myself pausing repeatedly, just to take it all in.

A FRENCH CONNECTION Every arrondissement, every street and every square invited me to explore. Paris is a city that reveals itself slowly, rewarding those willing to wander, linger and notice.

By the end of my trip, I was not just leaving a city, I was leaving a part of myself behind.

I had got carried away by the city’s rhythm, beauty and light. The French connection was not just a fleeting encounter; Paris is, for me, a lifelong romance.

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Interior of Sainte-Chapelle, l'île de la Cité.

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Bon appétit Paris is unforgettable for its food. I discovered the delicious contrasts between cosy bistros, bustling brasseries, delicate pâtisseries and charming street-side cafés, each offering a unique slice of Parisian life. I savoured flaky, buttery croissants at dawn; tender, golden duck confit at noon, and a sizzling, perfectly seasoned plate of steak frites late at night, all while listening to the lilting melodies of street musicians. Every bite was an explosion of flavour, a feast for the senses, and a reminder of the city’s devotion to beauty and artistry, even in its smallest culinary pleasures.

Day trips beyond the city Place des Vosges.

KM Malta Airlines operates regular flights between

Malta International Airport (MLA) and Paris (CDG) or Paris (ORY) kmmaltairlines.com

One day, I ventured to Versailles.

Walking through its gardens and palaces felt like stepping into a fairy tale, the grandeur of French royalty made tangible.

Fontainebleau offered a quieter, equally stunning reminder of the artistry that shapes this country.

Returning to Paris that evening, the city’s boulevards felt warmer; somehow more familiar.

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TRAVEL

Words by

Lea Hogg Lea is a Malta-based journalist and writer, known for her TV programme on current affairs, cultural news and in-depth interviews about politics and global issues.

Experiencing the pulse of Manila

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Makati City.

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The capital of the Philippines brims with energy, from sticky skewers at midnight to sunrise over Manila Bay; from the world’s largest Chinatown to gleaming US-style boulevards. And just a few miles away, neighbourhoods where life is raw and unrelenting. It’s a city that can be explored without a plan – just the courage to roam freely.

Landing in Manila, I thought my passport would be enough, until I learned an e-Visa was required.

Panic lasted seconds because immigration officers handled it efficiently, with good humour.

Outside, the city’s vibrancy grabbed my attention immediately. Manila is alive 24/7. The Grab ride-hailing app makes getting around easy, taxis are cheap, and food waits for you at all hours.

Driving into Makati, glass towers rise above wide streets. I spent my first nights in a neighbourhood that somehow felt both safe and buzzing. Past midnight, cafés brimmed with students, roadside vendors grilled skewers, and shops and restaurants stayed open – supermarkets, pharmacies, even fine dining. Late-night walks became my cure for jet lag, wandering streets guided by smells and lights.

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TRAVEL

At 3am, Manila still throbs with an upbeat rhythm.

Sticky pork skewers and warm rice bundles became my midnight ritual. Breakfast at 5am turned into an adventure: smoked fish, cold chicken and even balut, a fertilised duck egg I cracked open with a pinch of salt. It’s the sort of thing outsiders may be shocked about, but here it’s just Filipino breakfast. What really won me over, though, were the pancit noodles and the tangy comfort of adobo, rich with vinegar and soy.

A short distance away, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) felt like a different world. Named after the revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, his legacy is commemorated in a striking monument. The Finance Centre, glass towers, manicured parks and cafés could have been lifted from New York or Singapore. But what surprised me most were the murals and installations tucked between skyscrapers. Even grabbing a coffee turned into an impromptu art walk.

Beyond the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, BGC hides smaller galleries. Art Verité Gallery is a treasure, where emerging and established artists share curated exhibitions. I wandered among abstract paintings and delicate mixed-media works, each telling a story of modern Filipino life. Even casual strolls in BGC can become an art feast, with Ysobel Art Gallery in Serendra, murals and public displays turning streets into open-air galleries. Manila’s cultured side is never far from its gritty vitality.

After a few days exploring central Manila, I moved to the calmer, indulgent world of Manila Bay. I checked into the Conrad and later Lanson Place; sleek rooms in both, with the kind of sunrise views that make jet lag almost worth it. Just down the road, the Mall of Asia stretches out like its own city. I lost hours wandering between high-end boutiques and hole-in-the-wall shops, and even stumbled on an entire floor devoted to hairdressers, spas and nail bars. Manila has a way of slipping affordable indulgence into everyday life.

Yet beyond its polished towers and bayside indulgences, the Philippines reveals a quieter rhythm; one I found a few hours away in Zambales. Tucked among gardens heavy with exotic fruit trees, a small group of Maltese and Gozitan monks, led by Fr Joseph Cremona, live simply, taking only what the land provides. Avocados, fresh from the trees, were unlike anything I’d tasted before.

You can reach Manila with KM Malta Airlines via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, or via Paris Charles de Gaulle with Air France.

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Vegetarian barbecue in the streets of Binondo.

tips

Don’t make my mistake

Apply for your e-Visa. It’s quick, it’s easy and it saves you that moment of awkward fumbling at arrival.

BGC bites

Fr Cremona spoke about the small projects he and the monks run in the Bataan region, where over 60 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. He explained how they help with food, schooling and daily needs, where most families are used to living with little.

His quiet determination struck me more than the statistics ever could.

Mall of Asia.

The province is home to the Aeta, indigenous people whose Sambalic language differs entirely from Tagalog.

Walking through their villages and hearing daily life stories, I watched the monks patiently helping others, their quiet care leaving the deepest mark.

I also visited the Aquino Center and Museum on the invitation of Malta’s Ambassador to China and the Philippines, John Busuttil. Guided by Ninoy Aquino’s grandson, I walked through exhibits – the cell where Ninoy was held, Cory Aquino’s presidential memorabilia and Noynoy’s campaign artifacts. The Aquinos are the Kennedys of the Philippines. Speaking with Ninoy’s grandson added personal anecdotes and deeper understanding of Filipino political history.

Binondo Chinatown arch.

Finally, I ventured back to Manila and spent the last day in Binondo, the world’s oldest Chinatown, capturing the city’s chaotic heartbeat. Across the Pasig River, narrow streets, bustling markets and colonial buildings form a labyrinth.

Ongpin Street is lined with family-run eateries serving dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, savoury dumplings, siopao and hopia, flavours perfected over generations.

Gold shops, herbal medicine stores and traditional Chinese goods dot the streets. Cultural landmarks, like Seng Guan Temple and the Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, reflect the community’s spiritual life. Amid car horns and traffic, Binondo embodies Manila’s energy: chaotic, historic and unforgettable.

Manila leaves its mark long after you depart. A city of extremes, ancient and modern, gritty and polished, chaotic yet welcoming. Every street corner, gallery and market tells its own story. I got to know the Filipino people more and realised they have a remarkable gift for making each day count and living life to the fullest.

If you’re in BGC and feeling peckish, you’re in luck. The Wholesome Table has farm-to-table breakfast and lunch goodness; Manam serves Filipino comfort food with a clever twist; Ninyo Fusion Cuisine elevates local dishes in a chic spot; Wildflour is your go-to for coffee, pastries, and brunch vibes; and The Belle & Dragon keeps the evenings stylish with cocktails and small plates.

Basically, eat, sip, repeat.

Drive to Zambales

Travel time ranges from four to five hours, depending on traffic conditions, especially when departing from Manila. The cost is around €20.

Aquino Center and Museum in Tarlac

Guided tours are between 10am and 2pm.

Contact (+63) 947 806 4545 for slot reservations.

.....

Island Escapes Malapascua: Tiny island, big relaxation – flip-flops mandatory; worries optional. Beachside cottages, clear waters and some of the best diving in the Philippines.

Boracay: Sun, sand and sunsets you might dance through.

Hammocks, lively bars and a party vibe that lasts until nightfall.

Dos Palmas Arreceffi: Your private island HQ – luxury, calm, repeat. Secluded cottages, full meals included, and easy access to pristine reefs.

El Nido (Lagen): Rooms, reefs and adventure. Forest or waterfront stays with boat trips, snorkelling and marine sports ready to go.

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Discover our South Region sites

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Photos: Jonathan Borg.

HERITAGE

Words by

Lea Hogg

A most curious museum Casa Mangion is the sort of place you won’t find on the usual tourist trail. But for travellers craving something different, a little gothic, and unmistakably Maltese, it’s a detour from the sun and sea and an immersion into Malta’s decorative past.

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HERITAGE

Tucked away in the quiet suburb of Lija, beyond façades covered in bougainvillaea, lies Casa Mangion. Home to Joseph and Mary Mangion, it is both an immersive museum and their actual home.

The couple, part-custodians, partringmasters, lead you through rooms brimming with the sort of exquisite Maltese heirlooms and Victorian embellishments that would make Miss Havisham blink: lace antimacassars, porcelain dolls, and a faint whiff of lavender courtesy of furniture polish and beeswax.

Casa Mangion is the sort of place you won’t find on the usual tourist trail. But for travellers craving something different, a little gothic, and unmistakably Maltese, it’s a detour from the sun and sea.

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Porcelain figurines, wax fruit and flowers glow beneath oversized glass domes with ganutell arrangements, once reserved for altars and aristocrats. A magnificent trompel’oeil of wax apples, blown-glass grapes and porcelain saucers nestled among the foliage steals the show.

“You’d be surprised,” Joseph says. “Most families used to divide these sets between siblings, but I’ve managed to buy full matching sets.”

Being a funeral director, he’s often offered the contents of loved ones’ homes.

"Sometimes, I walk through rooms still heavy with the presence of the departed, the scent of their perfume, a photo left face down, a clock still ticking. These aren't just objects; they’re echoes of lives that have just slipped away.

“I always dreamed of living in a house that is a museum,” says Joseph. “When I was a boy, my father would display Good Friday statues in our home for visitors, but I wanted something all year round.”

"We also visit auctions, because antiques are always a worthy investment. They're pieces of Maltese history that deserve to be appreciated.”

And so, Casa Mangion was born: a home, yes, but also a lovingly curated snapshot of Maltese life.

Each display in the Mangion household is a minor miracle of preservation, spotless, unspoilt by time, and so clearly loved by their

HERITAGE

daughter Maria, who uses a natural feather duster to tend to her waxen fruit and religious memorabilia.

“You will find nothing faded here as all our collections are kept out of the sun, in cool interiors, properly stored and curated,” she adds. It’s as though she’s preparing them for their curtain call, awaiting the knock of the next curious visitor at the door, ready as ever to share her treasures from a bygone age.

“Our children have grown up and moved on, but we’ve made a success of this place. And that’s largely thanks to my wife.

She cleans everything, every piece, with the kind of care you can’t buy. We’re lucky our daughter Maria helps too – it’s an enormous task,” Mangion smiles. “But it’s worth it; every bit.

It’s not just furniture – it’s the past, preserved.”

His hand hovers over ranks of porcelain figurines lining cabinets, some no taller than a thimble, others commanding space. “We have them in every size. Some are more sentimental than valuable; others are truly priceless. But each one has a story.”

Time stands still in the dining room, where baroque sculptures and sacred art quietly command attention.

Silverware gleams, but it’s the Madonna under glass that truly draws the eye. “She was sculpted by my great-uncle Tomaso Mangion, a student of Carlo Darmanin,” says Joseph with quiet pride. “We call her il-ħġieġa tal-Madonna. She’s always been the heart of the room.”

Dominating the master bedroom is the couple’s majestic four-poster marital bed, its drapes of damask and velvet surrounded by an ornate collection of glassy-eyed Victorian dolls with finely painted porcelain faces framed by abundant

curls. This is where Joseph and Mary live history each night, weaving their own quiet story beneath lace throws and intricately embroidered bedspreads.

“I met Mary when she was just 16,” Joseph says with a twinkle that suggests the passage of time has done little to dim the memory. “I was dating her older sister at the time, but then I saw Mary and thought, well, she would be an upgrade.” He laughs, unapologetically honest. “And I’ve been lucky ever since. She’s patient – remarkably so; and ideal for this kind of life. Not everyone could live among all of this.”

In the anteroom, a row of polished vintage prams, once upon a time wheeled through promenades, now hold baby dolls dressed in lace bonnets and handsmocked gowns. A fox stole hangs on a carved chair, and a blue Willow-pattern washbasin rests on a nearby dresser.

There is something for everyone at Casa Mangion. In the garage, a 1979 Volvo 264, which is still in use, forms part of a cherished collection of cast-iron keys and tools.

“In my line of work, I don't just witness the end of life.

I often become a custodian of what’s left behind,” says the funeral director.

The Mangions have access to resources few could match, and it is not surprising that their home offers a glimpse of Maltese heritage beyond conventional narratives.

Casa Mangion, at 54, Sir Ugo Mifsud Street, Lija, is open to the public by appointment (+356 9946 9467).

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E X P E R I E N C E M A LTA’ S U N I Q U E N AT I O N A L T H E AT R E

WITH JEREMY GRECH

DAILY VISITS AVAILABLE

HISTORY

Words by

Lea Hogg

Guardians of Malta’s memories For a quarter of a century, the Friends of the National Archives of Malta have preserved the island’s fragile memories. Now, its president, Dr Evelyn Pullicino, says they are ready for the next chapter, keeping the flame alive so that the past can continue to illuminate Malta’s future.

Dr Evelyn Pullicino explores the past in fragments: a smudged signature, a faded photograph, a witness statement hinting at hidden lives.

patience. Her career, from curious child to researcher, teacher, and now president of FNAM, mirrors the organisation she leads: small, persistent, always making the case for something larger than itself.

Her curiosity, sharpened by discipline, has carried her from the classroom to the core of the National Archives, where she now leads the Friends of the National Archives of Malta (FNAM) as president, marking its 25th year of safeguarding the island’s memory.

Capable, approachable and to the point, Evelyn can turn a box of yellowing papers into a discussion about identity, politics and the fragile threads that bind Malta’s story.

“Archives fascinate me,” says the historical researcher and educator, who also co-founded the Malta University History Society. “They uncover unknown stories behind known facts.”

Her childhood, she recalls, was already steeped in history, fuelled by her father’s “sense of reality and quest for knowledge”. Mentors steered her towards research, while years of teaching history at every level revealed how few students grasped the significance of archives.

Evelyn speaks with the quiet authority of someone who has moved easily between classrooms, archives and political corridors. Warm but unsentimental, she is a pragmatist with a historian’s

“Unlike libraries, archives hold documents that cannot be found anywhere else.

They, therefore, hold precious and unique evidence about the past,” she notes.

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HISTORY

National Archives.

Evelyn Pullicino.

FNAM was founded in 2000, a voluntary organisation designed to support the National Archives. In 25 years, the group has come a long way. “We worked behind the scenes to convince the authorities to take the necessary steps to improve the standing of local archives,” Evelyn explains.

While the word ‘heritage’ still often conjures up the idea of churches and fortifications, historical records are crucial for understanding the past and informing the present, Evelyn insists. “They provide the proverbial window on the way our society developed; on how we acquired our national and cultural identity.”

The result was a legislative victory in 2005, when FNAM’s lobbying secured a new National Archives Act, giving Malta one of the most robust archival frameworks in Europe.

Malta’s archives are scattered across seven different sites, including Santo Spirito in Rabat, once the island’s oldest hospital, the Banca Giuratale in Mdina, and storerooms at the Ospizio in Floriana, while important collections continue to flow in.

“Through membership fees and fundraising, the FNAM has funded the digitisation of collections and secured new acquisitions for the nation,” Evelyn explains. Under her watch, FNAM has rescued rare photographs, including the work of sports photojournalist Karmenu Fava, and salvaged a 1930s voice recording machine once displayed outside Valletta’s Carabott Music Emporium.

“We have supported not just paper but music, photographs and voices,” she adds with quiet pride.

Academic ties soon followed. FNAM backed diploma and degree courses in Archives and Records Management at the University of Malta, aiming not just to preserve the past but to professionalise its guardians.

This year, FNAM itself became the subject of study with The Friends of the National Archives of Malta – The First 25 Years, a history by Martin Hampton that Evelyn describes as a "re-enactment of the first press conference, on 31st July 2000, when we announced ourselves to the world”.

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Evelyn looks forward to having purpose-built archives to accommodate all of these. She would like to see more than just a storage depot, but “a European and Mediterranean hub, a centre of excellence for archive studies”. This ambition is matched, she maintains, by the expertise already in place.

In an age of “fake news”, archives offer something more precious than nostalgia: they offer veracity, Evelyn states.

That is why FNAM’s 25th anniversary is marked not by backward glances but by fresh initiatives. October brings a special edition of its annual journal Arkivju and a Volunteer of the Year Award. November follows with 25 for 25, a showcase of private deposits acquired through FNAM’s efforts, each carrying the same message: Malta’s memory belongs to everyone, and it must be protected before it fades.

Evelyn’s vision is unambiguous – a secure home for Malta’s memory. Until then, the Friends of the Archives remain what they have always been: guardians keeping the flame alive, so that the past can continue to illuminate Malta’s future.

Gozo Gozo

Explore more Explore more

With so much to explore, the choice With so much to is explore, the choice of coastal walks impressive.

Our of coastal walkswalks is impressive. recommended will guideOur you recommended walks willroutes guide you through the most scenic on through the most scenic routes on all 3 islands! all 3 islands! @VisitMalta @VisitMalta

hori z ons horizons

CULTURE

Words by

This month’s

must-see events Autumn in Malta is anything but quiet. This October brings a packed cultural calendar, from grand operas in Gozo to Valletta’s all-night festival of art, music and theatre. There are also awardwinning exhibitions, fiery flamenco and epic concerts. With so much happening, what’s going to make it onto your list?

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Retold: Malta’s Global Art Story Returns Home When: Throughout October Where: Various venues On its 10th anniversary, Arts Council Malta took the unprecedented initiative of bringing the Biennale projects back to local shores.

Six projects, showcased at the Malta Pavilions at the Venice Arts Biennale, and the London Design Biennale, have now been brought to Malta and revisited in a new manner. Exhibitions are launched in a rolling manner till December 2025 across six historical sites in Malta.

These projects have been given exceptional coverage in the global press, with the latest Malta Pavilion, URNA, winning this year's London Design Biennale.

Puerto Flamenco When: 3rd & 4th October Where: Teatru Salesjan, Sliema Puerto Flamenco is back, bringing raw passion and fiery improvisation to the stage. Francesca Grima ‘La Chica’ leads alongside percussionist Andrej Vujicic, with a new line-up of flamenco’s rising stars, plus the magnetic Abel Harana, whose artistry electrifies every step.

Notte Bianca When: 4th October Where: Valletta Valletta bursts into life for its yearly Notte Bianca celebration.

Streets, squares, churches and palaces transform into stages for Malta’s biggest cultural night out. From live music to late-night exhibitions, this citywide festival of art, culture and performance is a must-visit, and it’s all free!

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CULTURE

La Forza Del Destino When: 11th October Where: Teatru Aurora, Gozo Verdi’s grand, unforgiving opera arrives in Gozo with four acts, eight scenes, sweeping choruses and larger-than-life arias. Known as “the opera that does not forgive”, La Forza del Destino is an epic challenge, and Teatru Aurora plans to go big.

Tosca When: 23rd & 25th October Where: Teatru Astra, Gozo Passion, betrayal and Puccini at his finest.

Gozo’s Teatru Astra brings Tosca to life with all the drama of 19th-century Rome.

Expect sweeping melodies, powerhouse performances and a production designed to thrill both seasoned opera lovers and first-time audiences alike.

Ennio Morricone's Music Live When: 26th October Where: MCC, Valletta Experience the iconic music of Ennio Morricone performed live by the renowned all-female Italian orchestra Le Muse, under the direction of Maestro Andrea Albertini. Featuring the captivating soprano Susanna Rigacci, this concert showcases unforgettable scores from The Mission, Cinema Paradiso, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and more.

Naħliflek When: 17th - 19th, 23rd - 26th October Where: Our Lady of the Pillar Church, Valletta Breach Theatre’s acclaimed play revisits the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi, accused of assaulting baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Blending myth, history and modern commentary, this powerful new Maltese translation features Clare Agius, Kim Dalli, Sarah-Lee Zammit and more, under director Marta Vella. English subtitles available for the performances on the 19th and 24th.

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Photo: Courtesy of the Soċjeta' Filarmonika Sliema 1923.

CULTURE

TRADITIONAL FEASTS & CELEBRATIONS The feast of St Francis in Sliema on 12th October Each October, the coastal town of Sliema marks the feast of St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century saint renowned for his humility, love of nature and care for animals. Celebrations centre on the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, where the Franciscan friars host a programme of community and religious activities.

This year’s feast takes place on 12th October, beginning with a morning Mass for children. Afterwards, the statue of St Francis is carried in procession through the parish streets, accompanied by festive hymns and boisterous band marches. In past years, the procession has also included a lively street theatre, re-telling episodes from the saint’s life, with choral performances by the young voices of the Fathers’ Angels children’s choir.

A key highlight of the Sliema feast is the traditional blessing of animals held on the church parvis. Parishioners gather with their pets, from dogs and cats to birds, hamsters and even ponies. They are blessed by the parish priest in a moving tribute to the saint’s bond with all living creatures.

For a guide to upcoming religious celebrations and traditional feasts across the Maltese Islands, be sure to visit inkontru.app

INSTALL inkontru.app Step into Malta’s scene with inkontru.app, your personal guide to all the latest art, culture and heritage events in Malta and Gozo. More than just a calendar, the app connects you with exciting events and artists through exclusive interviews and video features. Easily find event details, get directions and purchase tickets – all in one place. Need a ride?

Book a cab effortlessly through the app and share your plans with friends and family with ease.

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CULTURE

CHRISTINE X ART GALLERY ALEXANDER TADESSE | TOGETHER IN TIME 53, Tigné Street, c/w Hughes Hallet Street, Sliema In Together in Time, from 9th to 30th October 2025, Ethiopian artist Alexander Tadesse invites us into a vivid exploration of human connection — a journey through colour, form and feeling. This body of work captures the timeless beauty of togetherness, where shared stories, presence and memory interlace across the canvas. Through vibrant, interwoven compositions, Tadesse reflects on the essence of communal bonds, drawing inspiration from the moments when people come together — to gather, to celebrate, to simply be. info@christinexart.com

(+356) 9984 4653

SPAZJU KREATTIV - MALTA’S NATIONAL CENTRE FOR CREATIVITY Castille Place, Valletta Spazju Kreattiv, Malta’s National Centre for Creativity, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a vibrant programme of over 550 events at St James Cavalier, Valletta. Showcasing diverse artistic expression, the season reflects on past milestones while engaging with Malta’s evolving creative identity.

More than a commemoration, it reaffirms Spazju Kreattiv’s role as a hub for creativity, collaboration and innovation, inviting audiences to shape the nation’s cultural future. spazjukreattiv kreattivita.org

TEN08 ONE VISION OF QUEEN NYE LIVE Make your New Year’s Eve 2026 magical – Malta’s most unforgettable celebration awaits! Marc Martel and One Vision of Queen ignite the stage with Queen’s most iconic anthems – live in concert! As heard in the Oscarwinning movie Bohemian Rhapsody, Martel’s voice is the closest you’ll get to Freddie Mercury himself. A super line-up of local and international talent awaits! Ready to rock? Get your tickets now from showshappening.com before they’re gone!

THE FULL MONTY Teatru Manoel, Valletta In 1997, a BAFTA award-winning British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose took the world by storm. And now they’re back, live on stage, only for them, it really has to be the full monty! Rediscover the men, the women, the heartache and the hilarity of a city on the dole, in MADC’s production of this heartwarming show at Teatru Manoel, Malta’s national theatre, from 24th October – 2nd November. Francesca Briffa directs a star-studded cast led by Alan Paris, and including Stephen Oliver, Brendon Thearle, Lewis Preston, Shaun Rizzo and Taha Chaudhry. teatrumanoel.mt

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Colour Form & Composition

MILTON AVERY and his enduring influence of contemporary painting

Harold Ancart March Avery Andrew Cranston Nicolas Party

Henni Alftan Gary Hume Jonas Wood

25 October 2025 – 4 April 2026 MICAS, Floriana

Malta’s Contemporary Art Museum Opening Hours

FIND US

Tue 12:00 – 18:00 Wed 10:00 – 18:00 Thu 10:00 – 18:00 Fri 10:00 – 20:00 Sat 10:00 – 20:00 Sun 10:00 – 18:00

twistees.com

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Maestro Andrea Albertini.

music. Unlike his classmates at the conservatoire, however, Morricone broadened his outlook by using compositional stylistic features not only from classical music, but also from pop, rock and ethnic music. This resulted in a unique style that is both cultured and refined, yet accessible.

INKONTRU.APP MEETS...

Ennio Morricone’s music is pure cinema magic. Later this month, the all-female orchestra Le Muse, led by Maestro Andrea Albertini, brings his iconic scores to life in Valletta. We caught up with him to explore his love for Morricone and what audiences can expect.

What makes Morricone’s music so loved across the world?

Morricone’s magic is difficult to explain. The great Roman composer certainly knew the sound material he was dealing with very well, having studied with Goffredo Petrassi, one of the greatest exponents of 20th-century Italian avant-garde

What does an all-female orchestra bring to his work?

There is a significant difference in approach to playing between male and female instrumentalists. This is especially noticeable in the strings: a woman's approach to the strings, and therefore to the sound, is gentler, softer, more supple. The same is true of woodwind and percussion instruments. I could recognise the sound of a woman among a thousand instrumentalists. Furthermore, women are much more precise, punctual and scrupulous than men.

Do you have a favourite Morricone piece to conduct?

I will never tire of listening to, playing or conducting The Mission. It is an absolute masterpiece, combining musical rationality and emotional impact to perfection. It is truly a compositional pinnacle that has no equal in the history of film music.

What can audiences look forward to from your upcoming performance?

Our passion and love for Morricone's music, as well as our expertise on the subject matter, are what make our show special compared to the many other tributes around the world. And then there's the voice of Morricone himself, Susanna Rigacci, who has accompanied him on concerts around the world for the last 20 years. We can't wait to perform for you, so please come and join us!

WORKSHOPS & MASTERCLASSES Learn a fun new skill or step outside your comfort zone with these exciting workshops and masterclasses coming your way.

SoundArt Festival When: 24th - 26th October Where: St Aloysius Theatre, Birkirkara A three-day celebration of music, art and creativity. Join hands-on workshops in music and visual arts, lively board games sessions, plus musical performances, exhibitions and market stalls showcasing local talent throughout the festival.

Truffle Making Masterclass When: Various Dates, October Where: Malta Chocolate Factory, Bugibba Get your hands chocolatey with this indulgent workshop.

Guided by expert chocolatiers, you’ll explore the history of chocolate making and master the art of ganache, creating 12 handmade truffles to take home in a gift box.

Discover and experience more with inkontru.app, your web-based application that prioritises functionality and performance, meaning no need to download, seamless updates, no storage space taken and easy sharing. Enjoy!

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Birgu ( Città Vittoriosa

Explore more

stories

Discover the maritime city of Birgu (also known as, ‘Città Vittoriosa’), one of Malta’s oldest and most captivating cities.

Once Malta’s gateway to the Mediterranean, Birgu’s rich history predates that of our Capital City, Valletta, offering timeless charm and stunning seafront views.

@VisitMalta

)

THEATRE

Words by

Revamp MT

Class Dismissed!

Welcome to the School of Rock Forget the history lesson – this autumn, Malta’s capital hosts a highvoltage classroom as School of Rock – The Musical storms the stage at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

Get ready to turn up the volume! From 10th to 12th October 2025, Valletta’s Mediterranean Conference Centre will shake to the sound of shredding guitars, soaring vocals and laugh-out-loud comedy as Revamp MT unleashes School of Rock – The Musical. Performed in English, this high-energy show welcomes both Maltese audiences and international visitors looking to add a dose of rock ’n’ roll to their trip.

Based on the cult Paramount film starring Jack Black, the Tony-nominated musical combines Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score, Glenn Slater’s lyrics, and Julian Fellowes’ witty book. At its centre is Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who cons his way into a teaching job at a prestigious prep school. Instead of sticking to the curriculum, Dewey inspires his students to form a band, discovering along the way that music can be the most powerful teacher of all.

In Revamp MT’s dynamic production, local comedian James Ryder takes on the role of the irrepressible Dewey, joined by Natassja Chapman as the formidable headteacher Rosalie Mullins, Alessio Buhagiar as Ned Schneebly, and Bertha Farrugia as Patty Di Marco.

Adding an extra spark is a powerhouse group of young Maltese performers, whose crazy energy, remarkable vocals, and live instrumentals give the production its irresistible edge.

The creative team behind the scenes includes director Dorothy Bezzina, musical director Edward Mifsud, and choreographer Samaria Bezzina, alongside set, sound and light designers Karl Borg, Sergio Costa and Mohamed Ali ‘Dali’ Aguerbi. Together, they build on Revamp MT’s reputation for bold and ambitious theatre, following the company’s acclaimed 2023 production of The Band’s Visit.

With its mix of big laughs, electric riffs and heartfelt storytelling, School of Rock – The Musical is more than a show – it’s a full-scale rock concert wrapped inside a feel-good story about finding your voice.

Whether you’re a lifelong fan of the film, a theatre enthusiast, or a visitor eager to discover Malta’s vibrant live performance scene, this is one experience not to miss!

The Revamp MT production of School of Rock – The Musical will run for one weekend only, with both matinee and evening performances. It is recommended for audiences aged six and over, with mild parental discretion advised. This production was made possible by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd. Tickets are available from showshappening.com/mcc/schoolofrock and further information on revamp.mt

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ART

Words by

Ramona Depares Ramona is an author and journalist with an interest in culture-related topics. She runs her own food and culture website at ramonadepares.com

Confronting the man-made Beneath a busy flyover, a monumental steel head rises – part sculpture, part living organism. Maltese artist Kane Cali’s latest work, Observatory, confronts the man-made with nature, technology and reflection in a space where travellers pause to look up.

Driving by Luqa, maybe on your way to our airport, you’ll notice something different – intriguing – peeping out from under the flyover. A majestic steel installation, the unmistakable outline of a human head, rendered at a monumental scale.

Instead of a solid surface, the entire structure is composed of an open lattice of interconnected, polished metal, almost like a web or a mesh. The pattern resembles organic cellular structures or neural networks, and the interplay between nature and technology is unmistakable.

This is Observatory, the latest work from Maltese artist and sculptor Kane Cali, a piece commissioned

by Infrastructure Malta that has not only transformed the public area in the now – it is also set to continue evolving as the artist’s vision grows with the seasons.

Kane explains the concept, and exactly how nature will play a part in giving life to his work: “The idea of Mediterranean jasmine growing through the sculpture was a crucial element of the piece. The base has two incorporated pots dug in and, as the plants start growing in the wild, the work will change and evolve. It is inspired by nature, but confronts the man-made,” he starts off.

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The idea, he adds, is an allusion to the way most parts of our life are nowadays governed by “the algorithm, and other tech”. Yet, despite all this, it’s only nature that remains immutable, changing everything else around it.

Observatory has been in the making since 2020, when Infrastructure Malta issued a tender for public art in Marsa. While Kane’s proposal was among the front-runners, it couldn’t be executed at the time. Fastforward to 2023 and to another call, and this time, the project was accepted.

“I managed to get in touch with a foundry based in China that also works with iconic New York artist Daniel Arsham. We finalised the construction details, and work started. I was a bit concerned due to the sculpture’s weird shape, and the relatively thin sections. But the foundry worked miracles. They made gravity disappear, and we even got Giancarlo Torpiano, a Maltese engineer, on board to make sure that the structure would withstand elements like the crazy winds that we sometimes get in Malta.”

Photo: Julian Vassallo. Observatory.

ART

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SCAN ME!

ART

Viewers can interact with the piece differently, depending on their vantage point. Drivers are likely to catch a fleeting glimpse – one that will leave them pondering. However, pedestrians can interact with Observatory in a more tangible way, entering through the neck into the ‘mind’ of the figure.

“This is actually how the name of the piece was born; from the thought of someone within looking to the stars.

The piece has a pensive nature and offers a place of reflection in a busy part of the island. It is as much about the primitive gaze upwards as it is about the bright light of the phone that interrupts anything we are doing,” Kane elaborates.

Even here, the idea of the industrial permeates with the use of stainless steel, each piece tailored. The process can be viewed through a collection of short videos on the artist’s Instagram account.

For one of these, Kane has collaborated with singer-songwriter Claire Tonna, using her head and torso for the figurative aspect and her voice – a keening, rather than actual vocals – adding a deeper layer. Her figure erupts out of the rocks… or maybe it’s being engulfed. As always, it depends on your interpretation.

I put one final question to Kane: Why rocks?

“Rocks are often overlooked, discarded and ignored. Yet over time, I’ve come to recognise them as silent birthing relics. Each rock holds history and the promise for potential. Rocks form the foundations and walls of our homes, our cathedrals, our burial grounds. They have shaped the universe as we know it, eventually giving rise to carbon-based life. In short, they are everything you are and know,” he concludes. @kanecalistudio

The figure itself is modelled on the traditional portraiture of a human using 3D scans. But even here, it wasn’t just a clinical matter of scanning the model.

To give the piece the depth of thought he envisaged, Kane spent hours in conversation, dissecting emotions, adjusting the pose… Eventually, all this was manipulated through the use of the algorithm, leading to the final result that we see now.

Photo: Alexandra Pace. Kane Cali.

“The work I create is never really about the precise meaning. For example, working on something as big as this took long. Over time, its meaning and influences changed. I’m also very aware that viewers will carry their own history, and their own interpretation of a piece, making the meaning different for everyone. There’s no right or wrong interpretation,” he elaborates.

Indeed, the size of the piece is truly monumental. Observatory stands four metres high, a huge artwork cast in stainless steel, hand-polished to a mirror finish. It’s among the largest works Kane has created. Quite different from the project he is currently working on, Orphan Rocks.

“I’m creating this using found objects, raw material, bits of limestone… Some of these pieces formed part of my previous body of work and now they’re serving as the introduction to the new body of work. Each piece incorporates the figurative, as though the rock is consuming it,” he says.

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next up:

URNA October - November Ħaġar Qim, Qrendi THE SHIP (UNSEEN) October - November Inquisitor’s Palace, Birgu

HOMO MELITENSIS: An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters October MUŻA, Valletta

BURNING WATERS DIPLOMAZIJA ASTUTA Retold works on steel and paper

by Arcangelo Sassolino curated

by Keith Sciberras October - December Victor Pasmore Gallery, Valletta

Six Exhibitions, Six Locations.

July — Dec 2025 for more information visit: artscouncilmalta.gov.mt/retold

ART

Words by

MICAS

American icon in Malta From New York to Malta’s fortified bastions, the legacy of Milton Avery arrives at MICAS, offering a rare European encounter with the artist who shaped a generation of Abstract Expressionists and placing the island firmly on the international art map.

Rarely have the worlds of American Impression and Abstract Expressionism found such a meaningful encounter in the prodigious oeuvre of one artist.

With master colourist Milton Avery (1885-1965), the importance of this 20th-century American artist lives on in the multitude of works held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York among so many more in the US. Widely credited as a historical link, who exerted a key influence on the younger protagonists of Abstract Expressionism, namely Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Adolph Gottlieb, Avery’s early work played an influential role in these artists who, in turn, expressed their deep admiration for, and debt to him.

Now, in only the second ever showcase for Avery in Europe, his work comes to Malta at the island’s premier destination for the visual arts – the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space (MICAS) in Floriana. The first such survey of his work in Europe was only recently shown at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2022.

It explores the extent to which Avery continues to be held in high regard by some of the leading

contemporary artists of our time. This is why Colour, Form and Composition: Milton Avery and his Enduring Influence on Contemporary Painting, opening on 25th October 2025, features work by contemporary artists, Henni Alftan, Avery’s daughter March Avery, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, YBA and Royal Academician Gary Hume, Nicolas Party and Jonas Wood.

Set in the repurposed Knights-era fortifications of the Floriana Lines, visitors marvel at the architecture of Malta’s newest home for contemporary art: the Old Ospizio complex, once used as a gunpowder magazine, and today offering generous space and panoramic views of Marsamxett Harbour.

Its large steel-and-glass roof envelopes the gallery spaces, which follow the terrain’s natural terracing, and are flooded by natural light. This spatial layout is a dynamic environment, where visitors don’t just look at art but can enjoy exploring a layered space of architecture, history and creativity.

The sensational Avery collection at MICAS will be unique not just for the stellar and wide-ranging group of contemporary painters, all of whom cite his work as an enduring source of inspiration in theirs.

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Hint of Autumn, 1954.

48 Cactus Field, 1940s (c).

Milton Avery, Sails in Sunset Sea, 1960.

ART

Boathouse by the Sea, 1959.

ART

this exhibition will explore the extent to which that characterisation of him remains true to this day. The careful selection of both the list of participating artists and their individual works will reveal that each has forged a very personal relationship with Avery’s work, with all tapping into very differing aspects of his practice,” Devaney says.

Avery’s highly sophisticated and profound understanding of colour, culminated in his late paintings’ remarkable ability to employ colour to give coherence to form and evoke mood. This juxtaposition of colour planes creates a cohesion in his compositions, which is why his work often imparts a sense of resolution, serenity and beauty. The subtlety with which he painted each of those colours in carefully modulated layers became stronger as he matured as an artist, influencing the next generation of painters during his lifetime.

With over 30 works from the Avery estate alone, this survey of his entire career takes viewers through his influences in American Impressionism, to his late work from the 1950s through to the early 1960s, where, having exerted such a profound influence on the emerging Abstract Expressionist painters, he also took much from them.

The exhibition is curated by MICAS’s Artistic Director Edith Devaney, who for 20 years was a senior curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, where she was responsible for originating and curating exhibitions such as Jasper Johns' Something Resembling Truth in 2017, and Abstract Expressionism in 2016, as well as the David Hockney exhibitions, 82 Portraits and 1 Still-Life, and A Bigger Picture in 2012.

“The writer and art historian Dore Ashton commented during Avery’s lifetime that he was a ‘painters’ painter’;

With each of the participating contemporary artists selecting their own work based on the Avery checklist, there is a conscious response to the Avery works to be shown. Some have approached their responses in a very literal mode, such as Avery’s subject matter of everyday life or the employment of colour planes to replace perspectival depth. Others have tapped into particular tendencies seen in Avery’s work in addition to his ability to evoke of a sense of place, so the response becomes more intuitive.

“This exhibition looks at a subject from a fresh perspective,” says Devaney, who has piloted MICAS’s artistic programme, starting in 2024 with a grand opening exhibition by the Portuguese contemporary artist Joana Vasconcelos.

“Here we are looking back towards Modernism and examining how past practice continues, in some part, to shape current contemporary art.

“In exploring Avery’s artistic legacy and how aspects of that remain detectable in the work of some of today’s most celebrated artists, we intend to recontextualise not only his work, but that of all the contemporary participants, and in doing so, acknowledging the notion of art history as not always linear.”

VALLETTA WATERFRONT Triq il-Vittmi Furjaniżi tal-Gwerra, Floriana Discover this hidden gem within Malta's Grand Harbour, where history meets modern indulgence. Enjoy panoramic views, exciting activities and delectable dining experiences along this promenade. Savour Chinese, American, Mediterranean, sushi, or local cuisine in beautifully refurbished 1752-built stores, or dine al fresco by the water's edge. Just a short walk from central Valletta and Floriana, and across from the Three Cities, experience fun and relaxation away from the crowds. There is always something happening at Valletta Waterfront, with cultural celebrations, seasonal events, live music, special themed nights, and family-friendly activities that bring the historic promenade to life. vallettawaterfront vallettawaterfront.com

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YOUR PRE-FLIGHT PIT STOP

LAND YOUR MOMENT

BOOKS

Words by

American sci-fi author Jeff VanderMeer (left) and Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey will be the international special guests at this year’s edition of the Malta Book Festival.

National Book Council Malta

Writing anew!

Experience the island’s biggest celebration of books this November!

It is all about new beginnings at the 46th edition of the Malta Book Festival, which is taking place between 5th and 9th November at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali.

Embodied by the tagline ‘Writing Anew’, the festival invites the whole family to explore literature as a living, evolving force through a dynamic programme of events.

With all the major publishers and booksellers present, visitors will find loads of books reflecting Maltese culture and heritage, including beautiful coffee-table volumes highlighting the history, architecture and art of the Maltese Islands in all their uniqueness, along with literature and non-fiction and many other genres in a variety of languages.

The festival also hosts the exhibition From Illustration to Book: a collaboration with Arts Council Malta that brings the art of book illustration to vibrant life. All of this along with literary debates, artist-led workshops and a host of fresh new releases…

There’s also plenty to do between book-browsing sessions and scheduled activities. The ample ‘big tent’ space at the MFCC offers plenty of room to roam, and it’s pet-friendly to boot! Young readers and families can enjoy inclusive storytelling sessions, puppet shows, creative literacy activities and much more.

Accessibility is guaranteed throughout the event, as well as a sensory room, where persons on the autism spectrum can enjoy a peaceful environment away from the bustle.

The festival is, indeed, offering the perfect opportunity to take an intriguing slice of Malta back home with you.

Be sure to join the Malta Book Festival 2025 as we turn the page and write anew!

This year’s edition features an exciting lineup of international guests, including master of speculative fiction Jeff VanderMeer, who will deliver an interactive writing masterclass, and Booker Prize-winning novelist Samantha Harvey, who joins Maltese author Loranne Vella for a special conversation on her celebrated recent novel Orbital.

The Malta Book Festival will be open from 9am - 1pm and 5 - 9pm between 5th and 7th November; 10am - 9pm on 8th November; and 10am - 8pm on 9th November. ktieb.org.mt The Malta Book Festival nationalbookcouncil_malta

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GOZO

Words by

Shirley Jobson Shirley moved to Gozo a few years ago to enjoy its calmer pace with her English husband. After working as cabin crew for several years, she is now a freelance writer and proofreader who loves discovering Gozo’s little secrets.

You won’t leave Nadur market.

empty-handed Treat yourself to a bargain at Gozo’s colourful markets and eclectic shops.

There’s something about markets that draws me in without fail. I love the vibrant atmosphere found at each one; the vast array of colourful wares painstakingly displayed every morning; the enticing calls from the hopeful sellers; the people ambling leisurely, yet eagle-eyed, among the stalls, with the promise of a lucrative deal hanging in the air.

You may not always find what you are looking for, but a visit to one of these retail spots, even if it’s just to soak up the local experience, is definitely a must.

IT-TOKK, VICTORIA In my younger years, a family trip to Gozo inevitably included a visit to the crowded market, it-Tokk, in the heart of Victoria. It was a local tradition enjoyed by many Maltese visitors to the island’s capital during the 1990s. As we brushed shoulders with both tourists and residents, we would browse through the numerous stalls that filled Independence Square at the time. The more industrious among us could be heard fiercely haggling for a much lower price.

Nowadays, the market has virtually disappeared to make way for tables and chairs from nearby cafés and restaurants.

Nevertheless, a few lovely shops still border the square, and a short stroll through the narrow alleys in the immediate area will take you to even more charming outlets,

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presenting a variety of products, from clothes to souvenirs, colourful hand fans, and so much more.

THE OPEN-AIR MARKET IN NADUR Every Wednesday morning, the main square and streets surrounding the parish church of Nadur are filled with long tables shaded by oversized tarpaulins, each one crammed with all kinds of merchandise, tagged with vivid – and discounted – price labels.

This popular weekly market has been open for years, and it allows you to experience what it feels like to shop like a local.

As you wander through the organised maze of stalls, you will spot all types of household goods, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, pillows, linen and towels, interspersed with beach bags and luggage, evening bags and backpacks, leather belts and sunglasses.

Boho-style dresses float in the light breeze, hanging among beachwear, underwear, sandals and trainers. You can also stock up on your fresh fruit and vegetables before you return home with your prized acquisitions.

FRESH FINDS GOZO ARTISAN MERCATO If you’re more of a fan of locally crafted items, then this seasonal Artisan Mercato will tick all your boxes.

Launched in December 2023 by Michelle Bartolo – a craftswoman who lives in Gozo and believes that “the best things in life are made by hand” – this venture seeks to support the many talented residents and small businesses while boosting the island’s economy and cultural traditions.

Fresh Finds Gozo Artisan Mercato.

Every season, now assisted by Cara Graczyk, Michelle brings together a number of creatives, who set up their stalls in unique locations, including village squares and popular hangouts in Gozo. Through these regular events, where their handcrafted creations can be displayed, Fresh Finds brings people together and creates connections through shared experiences and personal skills.

Whether you visit in the spring, summer, autumn, or Christmastime, you are guaranteed to find a mélange of hand-knitted items, clothes, bags, jewellery, ceramics, paintings, scented candles, natural perfumes and cosmetics, essential oils, soaps and soothing bath salts, and much more.

You can also indulge in artisan food, vegan dishes, fresh local produce, fruit infusions, herbal products and even flavoured Gozitan sea salt.

Moreover, visitors at Fresh Finds may participate in various workshops and receive a head massage or haircut, while kids can enjoy hand painting and other child-friendly activities.

THRIFT SHOPS AROUND GOZO Recycling clothes and other used items is a great way to be sustainable while bagging some fantastic bargains. In fact, second-hand outlets have been gaining popularity around the Maltese Islands, and there are plenty to be found in Gozo too.

My favourite thrift shop has to be Relove & Restitch in Xagħra, from where I’ve often found some gorgeous outfits, bags and jewellery to stock up my wardrobe. The two women who run it also offer alteration services to ensure the acquired purchases fit their new owners properly.

Other locations to pop over to for recycled items include Vogue Xchange in Victoria, for preloved attire and organised clothes swaps for the environmentally conscious; Gozo Thrift Shopping in Għarb, for a wide selection of second-hand articles at low prices; and Bella Vintage in Sannat, a charity shop that gives back to the community via proceeds from pre-owned outfits, shoes, bags, jewellery and more.

Wherever you decide to go, you can be sure you won’t leave empty-handed. So, make a list of what you need, grab your shopping bags – and your friends – and treat yourself to some retail therapy, all while saving money and helping the environment.

Victoria shops.

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ACTION

Words by

Coryse Borg Coryse is a broadcaster, actress and voiceover artiste. She is passionate about writing, travelling and spending time with her loved ones; discovering new places and sampling new food in as many countries as possible.

Golfing with heritage Steeped in history yet offering a modern, inclusive welcome, the Royal Malta Golf Club is one of the island’s most unique sporting gems. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or curious beginner, this green oasis in Marsa invites you to enjoy the game with a touch of tradition.

When you think of Malta, your mind likely turns to sparkling seas, sun-drenched streets and layers of history waiting to be explored. But just a short drive from its capital city Valletta and the international airport lies another treasure, the Royal Malta Golf Club (RMGC).

Established in 1888, it is among the oldest golf clubs outside the UK – yet today, it blends heritage with modern hospitality, attracting visitors from around the world.

“What makes playing here truly unique is the combination of our central location in Marsa, Malta’s friendly year-round climate and the atmosphere of a private club that warmly welcomes international guests,” explains Martin Duff, RMGC general manager. “It’s golf with a sense of tradition, but without excessive formality.”

First impressions of the RMGC reveal lush greenery in a serene landscape, punctuated by palm trees.

“It really is a breath of fresh air,” Duff says with pride. “Surrounded by mature foliage and bathed in Malta’s natural light, the course remains in excellent condition throughout the year. Recent renovations to all 18 greens, carried out to United States Golf Association (USGA) specifications, along with additional bunkering and strategically added tees, ensure an enjoyable experience for every golfer.”

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With its Royal charter granted by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1888, RMGC carries an undeniable sense of history. Originally frequented by British officers stationed on the island, the club has grown into a global community of members and guests united by a love of the game.

“RMGC has been part of Malta’s evolving history,” Duff notes. “Even to this day, the club still maintains its traditions while embracing a global, diverse community.”

This welcoming spirit extends to golfers of all levels. Complete beginners can dip their toes in the game with introductory ‘taster’ sessions or book lessons with PGA-qualified professional Henning Schulze Doering, while more experienced players can fine-tune their swing with one-to-one or group coaching. For those travelling light, the Pro Shop provides high-quality rental sets.

Although the par-68 layout measures just 5,670 yards, golfers are advised not to underestimate it. Narrow fairways, undulating greens and strategically placed bunkers demand accuracy and thoughtful play.

“Don’t let the shorter yardage fool you – it is a thinking player’s course,” Duff stresses. “While shorter in length, accuracy is key, with tight fairways and well-protected, undulating greens furthering the challenge. Beginners will find it forgiving enough to enjoy their round, but seasoned players will appreciate the strategic and patient play it demands. Expect a very good test of your short game!”

Photos: Courtesy of Royal Malta Yacht Club. Martin Duff.

ACTION

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ACTION

Of course, a round of golf isn’t the only reason to visit. The clubhouse is a highlight in its own right – a place to linger over food, drinks and conversation. Steeped in character, it offers two distinct dining experiences: the Putters Inn, ideal for a relaxed meal, and the Fairway Terrace, where light bites and a glass of wine come with sweeping course views.

“The clubhouse is a welcoming space with plenty of charm,” Duff explains. “Whether you're sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine, or inside catching up with friends or reflecting on your round of golf, it’s a perfect place to relax.”

What makes the experience even more rewarding is that green fee visitors are granted temporary membership to both RMGC and the neighbouring Marsa Sports Club during their stay. That means full access to additional leisure facilities, including tennis and squash courts, a fitness centre, a swimming pool (seasonal), and more dining options.

Booking a tee time at RMGC is very straightforward. Visitors can reserve online via the club’s website, or by e-mailing in advance. The club maintains a smart-casual dress code, with soft spikes required on course, but otherwise keeps etiquette simple and approachable.

“No official handicap certificate is needed,” Duff assures. “We only ask that players respect basic golf etiquette and pace of play.

We pride ourselves on being friendly and approachable to all levels of golfers.”

For many travellers, Malta is a destination of sun, culture and coastline – and RMGC offers a different yet complementary perspective on island life. A round here combines leisure with history; sport with relaxation. It is a chance to engage with Malta in a way few visitors expect.

As Duff sums it up: “Golf in Malta is more than just the game. It’s about experiencing history, enjoying the climate, connecting with people from around the world and leaving with memories you’ll want to relive.”

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BOOKING: Reserve tee times online at www.royalmaltagolfclub.com or e-mail bookings@royalmaltagolfclub.com LOCATION: Marsa, just 10 minutes from Valletta and Malta International Airport.

FACILITIES: 18-hole par-69 course, PGA coaching, club rentals, clubhouse dining and access to Marsa Sports Club (tennis, squash, pool, fitness centre).

DRESS CODE: Standard golf course attire – collared polo shirt, tailored shorts or trousers and soft spikes required on course.

© 2025 McDonald’s Corporation. All pictures shown are for illustration purposes only. Actual products may vary.

MADE IN MALTA

Words by

Thomas Camilleri Creative director by day and actor by night, Thomas also founded Lazarus Tiles, a project through which he saves and documents Malta's cement tile heritage.

Some like it dirty Ceramicist Sue Mifsud felt completely at home when she moved to Malta and started attending a pottery studio – it was as if clay had been waiting for her and, at last, they had found each other. Her creative future as a ceramics designer was moulded…

I mean, look at those jeans. Those are the legs of someone who really gets up close and personal with her work!

“Clay is definitely the third person in our marriage; I am so passionate about this medium,” ceramist Sue Mifsud confesses.

Sitting in her Rabat studio, big open windows allowing a breeze to cool the overall sweat coverage that comes with a Maltese summer, it’s hard to imagine the other sliding-doors Sue. If she hadn’t met her Maltese husband as a teenager on holiday from the West Midlands, 1980s goth clothing and all, she might still be making the most of her Pitman Training as an office worker somewhere far cooler (and greyer).

“We spent two years in a long-distance relationship – and it was the original meaning of long, with no internet or smartphones. Any holiday leave was taken travelling either to Malta or the UK to spend precious time together and deciding in which country we should settle.

“Malta won as David couldn’t cope with not feeling his feet during the UK winter, and so our life together began in Rabat in 1989.”

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MADE IN MALTA

After getting used to David’s gargantuan family and obtaining her work permit, things started to fall into place, but not as much as when she entered Anna Ciavola’s pottery studio.

assistant to a company MD and part-time work as a masseuse.” Because yes, she also did that course.

The year was 1993, and while settled and happy in her new life, there was a creative itch she needed to scratch. In the UK, Sue used to let loose on her mother’s sewing machine, making her own outfits, but here was where she discovered ceramics.

As a long-time fan of her work, it’s hard for me to think of Sue without her wealth of experience. Watching her at the wheel, you’d imagine that it was just an extension of her body, like thoughts manifested in clay. If you sit down at some of the top restaurants on the island, you’re often going to be eating off her plates. But the journey to working hand in hand with some of the island’s top culinary minds didn’t happen overnight.

“I felt completely at home; as if clay had been waiting for me and, at last, we found each other.”

So passionate was her dedication to the craft that when work got in the way, work had to change. She built her relationship with the medium over the next 12 years, establishing her own studio, becoming totally self-sufficient by ordering all the materials she needed directly from Stoke-on-Trent in the UK and working and selling part-time.

“Then in 2005, complete with my imposter syndrome in tow, I applied for a place at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland for a BA (Hons) in Ceramics. I hadn’t actually thought I would be accepted, but to my delight I was.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever put myself through; six years of part-time study while holding down a job as a personal

After the arduous but rewarding journey that came with obtaining her degree in 2011, the hard graft began. “By this time, I was working in heritage pottery as a pottery manager, and three years later, I decided it was time to go it alone. So, I started the new year of 2015 as a full-time, self-employed, qualified ceramics designer. I had no plans, no programme; would just turn up to work in the studio at 8am and leave at 5pm, telling my hubby: ‘Ok, I’m off to work’.”

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A FEAST FOR FOODIES

AT THE FOOD COURT

MADE IN MALTA

The business grew organically, and her hours swiftly filled with interesting work and opportunities. In the early days, she said yes to almost anything until she found her path and discerned what was a good fit for her and her designs.

“In late 2014, a chef had already contacted me regarding bespoke dinnerware, and within a few months, I had designed and created dozens of pieces for his restaurant. It would be the first of many fine-dining restaurants I would work for and is still a constant source of inspiration and fascination.

“Chefs are a wonderful breed of humans to work with; they understand bringing together raw, natural ingredients and adding heat to create something entirely new.”

Besides this work for restaurants, a lot of her time is now spent working on commissions. Sue understands that private undertakings often induce dread in many artists, but she enjoys the challenge that comes with understanding what a client desires.

“One of the joys of working with private clients is that I get to know them during the making process and many become friends. I think a mutual love of clay can bring people together.”

She’ll sometimes fire up her kiln with as many as 15 different people’s pieces in it: “A good source of anxiety but so rewarding handing them over to their new owners.”

It’s this joy of interaction that has led to her steering clear of an online shop, finding the process too transactional. If possible, Sue always loves to welcome prospective clients at her Rabat home and studio or via a conversation on her Facebook or Instagram pages – just search for Sue Mifsud Ceramics.

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Photo: courtesy of James Muriuki.

Untitled Installation at Kamene Cultural Center, Nairobi.

EXHIBITION

Words by

Spazju Kreattiv

A bridge across continents Contemporary African art comes to Spazju Kreattiv, offering a rare and intimate window into the plurality of contemporary African artistic expression.

This autumn, Spazju Kreattiv, Malta’s national centre for creativity, presents Anyone Who Feeds on Majesty Becomes Eloquent – a compelling collective exhibition of contemporary African art on view until 9th November 2025.

power of friendship, signals the exhibition’s intention: to foster horizontal alliances among artists and their practices. It offers a rare and intimate window into the plurality of contemporary African artistic expression.

Co-curated by Ethiopian curator and writer Sarah Abdu Bushra and Christine Xuereb Seidu of Christine X Art Gallery, the exhibition features nine artists from across Africa: six from Ethiopia (Berhanu Ashagrie, Tamrat Gezahegne, Miriam Hillawi Abraham, Eyoeal Kefyalew, Kirubel Melke and Helen Zeru), two from South Africa (the collective Rural Futurisms and multidisciplinary artist Fatima Tayob Moosa), and Kenyan photographer and curator James Muriuki.

Set within the evocative stone chambers of Space A at Spażju Kreattiv, in Castille Square, Valletta – spaces that echo with histories of empire and sea trade – the exhibition takes on added resonance. Malta’s position as a Mediterranean crossroads provides fertile ground for these works to speak to themes of movement, displacement and transformation.

Guided by the question: “Why is it important to speak about land and water, light and time, a system at work?”, the show draws together artists whose work engages with indigenous knowledge systems, spiritual and ecological memory, and political entanglement.

Through experimental media and interdisciplinary approaches, the natural world becomes both metaphor and collaborator. The artists explore "epistemologies of the South" – ways of knowing rooted in subaltern histories and landscapes – inviting viewers into a sohbet, a mystical dialogue where grief, decay and memory shape understanding.

The title, Anyone Who Feeds on Majesty Becomes Eloquent, taken from a poem on the transformative

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To present contemporary African art at Malta’s national centre is more than an act of cultural exchange; it is a step towards broadening the space for globally situated narratives with strong local agency.

By placing these nine voices at the heart of the capital, Spazju Kreattiv extends a powerful invitation: not only to ask how we speak about land, water, time and light – but also how we listen to their stories.

Commissioned by Spazju Kreattiv, this exhibition forms part of the centre’s ongoing commitment to amplifying African contemporary art within the Mediterranean cultural sphere.

Entrance to the exhibition is free. Spazju Kreattiv is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 9pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 9pm.

SAILORS IN THE CITY “Enjoy a free drink on the house, sailor!"

Scan the QR Code for available performances and an exclusive tour of Malta’s most infamous street by VIP Tours Malta!

The Caravaggio Experience

Discover secrets of the Knights, performed under a Caravaggio Masterpiece in Malta’s longest running show

PETS

Words by

Roy (with a little help from

Ruth Zammit DeBono – paws don’t type!)

Ruth is a passionate traveller, artist and devoted dog mum, who finds joy in storytelling and discovering the world always with her pet by her side.

Train journeys through Italy with a poodle

From Malta to Rome, and from Rome to everywhere – the journey begins the moment we choose to travel together.

Ciao amici! Roy here – your four-pawed correspondent, back with another Passaġġi after my short summer break. This month, we’re slowing things down, swapping wings for wheels, and stepping into the rhythm of Italy’s railways.

Trains have always been the heartbeat of Italian travel, and for a small dog like me, they open up an entire world of adventure that goes far beyond a single destination.

Thanks to KM Malta Airlines’ flights from Malta to Rome, a new gateway unlocks: one ticket into the capital and, from there, the tracks spread out like veins across the country – leading to Tuscan hill towns, northern lakes, or even the sandy stretches of southern coasts.

For dog parents, that means no need to rent a car or wrestle with endless motorways. Instead, you can sit back, sip a cappuccino (or an espresso if after 11am!) at the station, and let the train do the work.

WHY TRAINS MAKE SENSE FOR DOGS Autumn is perhaps the most poetic season to travel by train in Italy. Golden leaves whirl past the windows, vineyards glow with harvest, and the air carries that promise of change. For me, though, the best part is that trains offer comfort and routine. Unlike airports, there’s less waiting, fewer security hoops, and often more freedom to stretch paws.

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????????

points

For small dogs, especially those like me who fit neatly into a travel carrier, trains can be the most stress-free way to move around. I curl up in my familiar den, snooze through the countryside, and wake up in a brand-new city. Meanwhile, my mummy gets to enjoy the view without worrying about traffic jams or toll booths.

PREPARING YOUR PUP FOR TRAIN TRAVEL Of course, no dog hops onto a train like a seasoned traveller from day one. It takes preparation, patience and a touch of creativity. Here are some tips that worked wonders for me: • Practise at home: Get your dog used to the travel carrier before the trip. Leave it open in the house, toss in treats, make it a cosy den rather than a cage. That way, it feels safe rather than strange.

• Short practice rides: If possible, start with quick train or bus trips before attempting a long journey. The noises, vibrations and crowds can be overwhelming at first.

• Pack comfort: Bring a familiar blanket or toy. The smell of home helps ease nerves.

• Hydration & snacks: A collapsible bowl and a few favourite treats keep both energy and mood steady.

• Breaks between trips: Just like humans, we need to stretch our legs.

Build time between connections for a quick walk outside the station.

The golden rule? Never leave it to the last minute. Dogs sense your stress, so if you’re rushing, chances are your pup will feel on edge too.

THE SCENIC SIDE OF SLOW TRAVEL There’s something romantic about rail journeys in Italy that cars and planes can’t quite match. You glide through landscapes that would otherwise be hidden: cypress-lined hills, ancient aqueducts, fields stitched with olive groves. Cities announce themselves gently, with rooftops and bell towers appearing long before the station.

For dogs, slow travel isn’t just aesthetic – it’s practical. Less confinement, more calm. I love that my mummy often chooses to walk from the station to our hotel instead of jumping into a taxi. Suitcase, carrier and me in tow, we stroll through cobbled streets, smelling bakeries and piazzas as we arrive. It’s the perfect introduction to a city: unhurried, sensory, alive.

A PAW-SENGER’S PERSPECTIVE Let me be honest: the first time I travelled by train, I was a little unsure. Strange sounds, strange people, the hum of motion beneath my paws. But with every trip, I grew more confident. Now, I hop into my carrier like it’s second nature.

The best moment? When the train slows, the scenery opens and I can smell the new city through the station doors. Each destination is like a wrapped present – Florence, Bologna, Pisa – each with its own scents, squares and hidden corners where a poodle like me can explore.

FINAL WHISTLE Travelling by train in Italy is more than transport – it’s an experience, a philosophy of movement. For dogs, it offers comfort; for humans, it offers beauty. And together, it’s a reminder that the journey matters just as much as the destination.

So, whether it’s the golden vines of Tuscany or the cobbled heart of Rome, hop on board this autumn and let the tracks lead you. I’ll be there in my carrier, tail wagging, ready for the next passaggio.

KM Malta Airlines’ 5 Golden Rules for Flying with Pets in Cabin (PETC):

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Small paws only: The PETC service is just for cats and small dogs. Together with their carrier, they can weigh up to 10kg in total.

Fit for travel: Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old, weaned for five days, and in good health. Always check entry rules for your destination, as some breeds may face restrictions.

One human, one carrier: Only one pet container per adult passenger is allowed, and your furry travel companions must remain inside it throughout the flight.

Safe and snug: The carrier must be secure, ventilated, leak-proof and small enough to fit comfortably under the seat in front of you.

Extra perk for pet parents: If you’re travelling with a PETC, you can check in a foldable pet stroller free of charge, provided you’ve already booked your in-cabin spot.

Thinking of taking your pup on a slow Italian train journey? Our Instagram inbox is always open and Roy and I are happy to share tips from the rails. @PupsPaintAndProsecco

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presents

Your 2026

Experience Malta’s culture ...

Festivals Calendar

8-25 Jan

Valletta Baroque Festival

13-17 Feb

Karnival ta’ Malta

19-21 Mar

Mużika Mużika

21-24 May

Festgħana

12-22 Jun

Malta International Arts Festival

follow us:

6-11 Jul

Malta Jazz Festival

23-26 Jul

Dance Festival Malta

21-23 Aug

Karnival tas-Sajf

10-12 Sep

Valletta Guitar Festival

3 Oct

like never before

27 Oct - 1 Nov

Notte Bianca The Three Palaces

PEOPLE

Words by

Charlene Vella

Charlene is an Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Malta. But beyond academia, she curates several exhibitions, bridging scholarly research and public engagement, reflecting her deep appreciation for art, travel and Malta's rich cultural heritage.

LOOK AT ME Celebrity photographer Lorenzo Agius returns to his roots with a retrospective that marks his first major exhibition in Malta. It’s a chance to connect the glamour of Hollywood and the energy of London’s fashion scene with the Mediterranean island that helped shape the man behind the camera and whose Maltese heritage ties him to his origins even as his work spans continents and cultures.

What do Madonna, Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Ewan McGregor have in common? Apart from their Hollywood allure, they have all stepped in front of Lorenzo Agius’s lens – the British-born photographer with Maltese roots whose portraits have defined an era of celebrity culture.

This autumn, Malta welcomes Agius home with Look at Me: Framing the Iconic, a sweeping retrospective at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.

Celebrating over three decades of visual storytelling, cinematic atmosphere and emotional depth, this exhibition will not only be an unmissable chance to encounter the faces of global stardom, but also an occasion for locals and visitors alike to witness first-hand the artistry of the man who

captured them in a show that is equal parts cultural history, glamour and personal homecoming.

Agius’s career reads like a film script. In 1996, as Britain’s cultural scene exploded with energy, he was commissioned to shoot promotional portraits for the movie Trainspotting. The images are gritty, stylish and unforgettable. They did more than sell a film: they captured the pulse of a generation.

McGregor’s haunted gaze, cigarette dangling; the cast’s frenetic swagger. These photographs cemented Agius’s reputation overnight and aligned him with the Cool Britannia movement of the 1990s, when Britpop, fashion and cinema redefined British identity for the world.

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PEOPLE

Valentino.

From there, doors opened. Agius quickly became one of the most sought-after photographers of his generation. His lens has captured some of the most recognisable figures in contemporary culture – from actors and musicians to fashion icons and global personalities – not in rehearsed poses, but in moments of intimacy, spontaneity and humour.

He photographed David Beckham, The Spice Girls and Liam Gallagher; he documented a moment when music, fashion and celebrity collided in Union Jack bravado. From then, his camera travelled with him across the Atlantic and into the studios of Hollywood.

Soon, icons like Anthony Hopkins, Penélope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Jack Nicholson and Angelina Jolie became part of his portfolio. His covers graced Vanity Fair, GQ and Esquire.

His photographs shaped the way millions experienced celebrity: not as distant stars, but as complex, relatable humans.

David Beckham.

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PEOPLE

Viola Davis.

Tom Cruise.

Despite being born and raised in the UK, Agius has always identified deeply with his Maltese heritage, even if he has never lived in Malta. This retrospective marks his first major exhibition on the islands and is, in many ways, a return to his roots.

The show affirms Malta’s place on the global cultural map, hosting the work of a photographer whose images are as iconic as the celebrities themselves.

Agius’s photographs are dialogues rather than documents. They are about trust, precision and resonance: whether it is Madonna’s defiance, Law’s vulnerability, or Hopkins’s quiet intensity.

For Malta’s visitors, Look at Me is more than an exhibition. It’s a chance to connect the glamour of Hollywood and the energy of London’s fashion scene with the Mediterranean island that helped shape the man behind the camera.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF ARTISTRY The retrospective unfolds across four themed rooms at Spazju Kreattiv, each offering a different perspective on Agius’s artistry: Cool Britannia greets visitors at the entrance, immersing them in the 1990s cultural wave that launched his career. The centrepiece is McGregor’s Trainspotting portrait, cigarette poised – a photograph that has become part of cinema history.

Around it hangs Beckham, The Spice Girls, Gallagher and Patsy Kensit wrapped in the Union Jack, Law, and other portraits that crystallised a nation’s mood. The room even features contact sheets, allowing us to peek into the raw, instinctive process before the polished final images emerged.

From there, the exhibition opens into Familiar Strangers – an atmospheric gallery where more than 40 photographs, some suspended mid-air, surround visitors like constellations of stardom. Here are Beyoncé, Cruz, Roberts, Christian Bale…

Madonna.

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lta Gh-ajn Tuffieh- a Bay, Ma

Explore more

Your first impression of Għajn Tuffieħa Bay will be of jaw-dropping beauty. With its glorious cliffs and clay slopes surrounding its awesome red sands, it will surely leave you with lasting memories.

@VisitMalta

thrills

Photo: Michaele Zammit. Lorenzo Agius.

PEOPLE

Paul Smith.

In Evolution of a Portrait, we step behind the lens. A documentary feature reveals Agius at work – charming, attentive, intuitive – as he builds the trust that underpins every great portrait. Alongside, a wall of magazine covers reminds us of the days when print media was king, when glossy covers were collected, pinned to bedroom walls and shared like treasures. For many, seeing these covers is a nostalgic trip back to the rituals of pop culture before the digital age.

Whether you are strolling Valletta’s streets on holiday or revisiting your own city with fresh eyes, make space for this exhibition. It is not just another gallery visit; it is a chance to stand face to face with the icons of our age, reframed through the artistry of a photographer who calls Malta home.

Finally, Legends closes the exhibition with grandeur. Agius’s portraits of Madonna, Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Helen Mirren, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis are large, luminous and commanding. These images transform celebrities into something more enduring: cultural myths. Yet, under Agius’s gaze, they remain achingly human – flirtatious, amused, regal, or defiant.

For Maltese audiences, Look at Me is an opportunity to claim one of our own – a global photographer whose Maltese heritage ties him to this island even as his work spans continents and cultures. For visitors, it is a rare chance to walk among the legends of modern cinema, music and fashion, and to witness the craft of portraiture at its highest level.

What sets Agius apart from other celebrity photographers is not just his access, but his ability to dissolve the barrier between subject and viewer. His portraits are less about spectacle than about resonance. As Agius himself has noted, it is about dialogue: listening, waiting and trusting. That ethos treads through the exhibition: an insistence that portraiture is not the freezing of an image but the revelation of a person.

Look at Me: Framing the Iconic, curated by Prof. Charlene Vella, runs until 2nd November 2025.

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EXPERIENCES

Words by

Janica Buhagiar, Heritage Malta

THE SHADOW BENEATH THE SUN: MALTA’S DARKER ALLURE When most travellers imagine Malta, they picture sun-drenched harbours, gilded churches and postcard-perfect limestone lanes. But beneath this radiant veneer lies a shadowy past, one that is slowly, stylishly, stepping into the spotlight. This is Malta’s Dark Tourism scene.

Welcome to Malta’s Dark Tourism scene, where death, memory and the macabre are woven into the cultural landscape – curated by Heritage Malta at a number of sites that embody this evocative legacy.

From ancient underground necropolises to allegedly haunted forts, Heritage Malta invites visitors to engage with something more evocative than just sun and sea: an unfiltered, often immersive encounter with the island’s complex past. Sites such as the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, a subterranean burial complex over 5,000 years old, and St Paul’s Catacombs, echoing with Roman rituals of the afterlife, speak not only of mortality, but of deeply rooted human spirituality and communal remembrance.

Yet Dark Tourism in Malta is not a fixation with decay.

It offers a reflective lens through which to trace the contours of absence and trauma, finding in these silences echoes of our shared humanity. Heritage Malta’s historic fortifications, including Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo, are not merely strategic marvels; they are conflict-laden palimpsests, sites where blood was spilled and identities shaped. Through Heritage Malta’s stewardship, such sites are being reimagined not just as heritage attractions, but as places of empathy, education and affective experience.

Innovative events, such as sleepovers at St Paul’s Catacombs and at the Inquisitor’s Palace, are reshaping how the public interacts with dark heritage. These are annual events, part and parcel of Heritage Malta’s official calendar, which features curated experiences across the year. These events cannot be booked on demand

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or requested individually. Their dates are established in advance and released as part of the calendar. Visitors interested in participating are encouraged to keep an eye on the calendar – accessible via heritagemalta.mt/whatson/ to plan accordingly and secure their place when bookings open.

These experiences allow participants to inhabit the space not simply as spectators, but as temporary custodians of its memory. Sleeping within walls once hewn for the dead creates an intimate, affective encounter with Malta’s funerary past, transforming abstract history into a deeply personal narrative.

So, while your tan may fade, the resonances of Malta’s darker past will linger. Dark Tourism here is not about voyeurism or spectacle; it is about acknowledging the shadow, not to dwell in it, but to recognise it as the contrast through which light – and life – gain meaning.

After all, what is beauty without a whisper of the macabre?

For those who wish to delve deeper into Malta’s forgotten narratives and haunted histories, Heritage Malta offers more than just physical sites. Explore the darker layers of Mdina, Rabat, Birgu, Bormla and Isla through these compelling reads.

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Words by

Coryse Borg

15 years of sweet success The Ħamrun Chocolate Festival celebrates its crystal anniversary.

Malta’s tastiest night out returns this month as the Ħamrun Chocolate Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary with a big, bold celebration of cocoa craft and culture.

On Saturday 18th October 2025, from 5pm onwards, Saint Joseph High Street in Ħamrun will transform into a gourmand’s playground – where chocolate is food, art, performance and joy.

Expect world-class master chocolatiers, handson workshops, live entertainment, a children’s corner, and more, all wrapped in a warm community spirit, during this unique event that gives visitors a special opportunity to enjoy a wide range of chocolate-related products.

The Ħamrun Chocolate Festival began in 2008, when Ħamrun hosted its very first chocolate-themed event with just 15 stalls and one unforgettable centrepiece – a chocolate train sculpture celebrating the nearby Old Railway Station.

The festival quickly won the hearts (and taste buds) of locals. Popularity soared and demand grew, prompting organisers to expand into the surrounding streets. It was eventually transferred to St Joseph High Street and the

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adjacent roads to accommodate more vendors and focusing more on chocolate-related products.

From a modest start, the festival has grown into a cultural cornerstone, with last year alone drawing more than 25,000 visitors, providing an experience that goes beyond mere tasting.

The yearly event is organised by the Ħamrun local council, the Ħamrun Business Community and local partners; this year, the festival is under the artistic direction of Mario Camilleri.

For the organisers, reaching the 15th anniversary brings both satisfaction and new energy to attract international chocolatiers, enrich the festival’s cultural programme and shine a global spotlight on Ħamrun.

But why Ħamrun exactly? The answer is recorded in the annals of history.

Research reveals that during the time of the Knights of St John, cocoa beans were stored in the Tas-Samra area in Ħamrun under Grand Master Perellos. This historical connection makes the town a natural home for the festival.

This year, visitors to the festival can expect to taste their way across continents. The theme – aptly titled the Festival of Sweet Sins – brings chocolates from Malta, France, Australia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the US, Brazil, the UK and Morocco.

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St Joseph High Street, Ħamrun.

Whether you prefer delicate pralines, bold singleorigin bars, velvety truffles, or modern dessert artistry, there is something for every palate. For those with dietary needs, gluten-free and specialty options ensure indulgence without compromise.

Chocolate here is not only to be eaten but also admired as art. The festival is famous for its chocolate sculptures – jaw-dropping pieces that look more like gallery installations than desserts.

Visitors to the festival can also watch live demonstrations of tempering, moulding and airbrushing. Adding prestige to this year’s line-up are three headline names: Gerhard Petz, Culinary Olympics winner with eight gold medals and over 250 publications; Chris Zammit, acclaimed British Culinary Federation Pastry Chef of the Year; and Malta’s own master chocolatier Tiziano Cassar.

Workshops and demonstrations invite enthusiasts to explore the bean-to-bar journey, while the children’s corner gives young chocoholics a chance to create, play and taste in their own sweet space.

Families can spend hours discovering different layers of chocolate culture, from hands-on activities to storytelling and games.

The event also strengthens Ħamrun’s cultural identity. During the festival, historic sites open their doors to visitors, giving them the chance to discover the town’s diverse cultural aspects and what it has to offer.

The festival continues to expand with purpose. As members of The Chocolate Way, an international network of chocolatiers and cultural organisations, Ħamrun connects with experts worldwide to exchange knowledge, improve quality and promote sustainability. Ethical chocolate – fair trade, traceability and eco-conscious practices – is becoming part of the conversation.

The collaboration with The Chocolate Way also opens doors for the festival to receive insights and best practices from other successful chocolate events globally. Whether you’re a connoisseur, a casual sweet-toothed person, or a family looking for a fun evening out, the festival promises an experience that will pamper, surprise and seduce.

As for the future, the organisers dream of creating a Chocolate Museum in Ħamrun, a permanent hub that would showcase the history, artistry and flavours of chocolate all year round.

Coupled with the festival’s growing global reputation, it’s a vision that could firmly establish Malta as a must-visit destination for food lovers.

IF YOU INTEND TO EXPERIENCE THE FESTIVAL FOR YOURSELF, HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL TIPS TO MAKE THE EVENING EVEN SMOOTHER: Wear comfortable shoes, bring a light layer for the evening breeze, and carry a tote for your sweet finds.

Arrive early to catch the sculptures at their best, and pace yourself with tastings – alternate between rich, creamy bites and lighter citrus or nutty notes, and don’t forget to stay hydrated.

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Words by

Adriana Bishop Adriana is a former news journalist and travel PR executive, now a freelance writer based in Switzerland, with her heart and eyes always set on her forever home Malta.

Nectar of the gods Famous for its exceptional quality for centuries, Maltese honey is so treasured that it is believed to have inspired the island’s very name.

Golden, unctuous, sweet, with a unique taste celebrated since ancient times, Maltese honey is the most significant of Malta’s culinary traditions, and certainly one of the most historic.

It is synonymous with the definition of the word 'delicious' in Maltese, when a memorable meal would go down “like honey”.

First introduced to the islands by the Phoenicians, who controlled Malta between 700 BC and 218 BC, honey quickly became a significant part of Malta’s culture and economy and was even exported. The Greeks loved it so much that they named the island Melite, from the word that means honey – or so the legend goes.

Its reputation for exceptional quality was cemented in the 1st century BC when the notoriously corrupt Roman governor Gaius Verres was prosecuted

by Cicero for, among a very long list of crimes, stealing 400 jars of Maltese honey “for which the island is famous”.

That was enough to get Maltese honey on every glutton’s radar, and it was soon #trending. Even after the 870 AD Arab attack on Malta left the island an uninhabited ruin, the Maltese honey bees buzzed on, and the barren rock was visited by “those who collect honey because that is the most common thing there”. When local production was not sufficient to meet demand and honey

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had to be imported from Sicily, the Maltese stuff still commanded higher prices, a testament to its superior quality and taste.

If you take a walk along Ras il-Pellegrin in the limits of the northern seaside town of Mellieħa, you can still see the Roman era beehives built into the cliffs, which give a hint of the industrial scale of honey production at the time. In fact, some historic writers over the centuries declared the Mellieħa honey as being “the best”. Similar stone hives built in the 16th century at the time of the Knights of St John can also be found along the Xemxija Heritage Trail.

Farmers later built small, south-facing, low rooms, with clay hives set horizontally on shelves in what was known as the Eastern style, before the advent of the more convenient wooden vertical hives.

Today, Maltese honey is produced on a much more boutique scale with around 250 beekeepers tending to some 5,600 hives, mostly as a hobby, part-time, or for crop pollination. But that’s not to say that the quality of the honey, or its importance in the local culinary tradition, have in any way diminished.

Last year, in “a moment of pride for Malta”, the Maltese government officially declared the Maltese honey bee (Apis mellifera ruttneri) as Malta’s national insect, joining five other species of national importance. The announcement was marked with the minting of a €2 commemorative coin issued by the Central Bank of Malta.

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Photos: Jonathan Borg. Maltese honey bees.

tastes

Try this at home

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Smaller, darker and with narrower wings than other honey bees, the Maltese variety is a distinct subspecies that has adapted to the island’s windy conditions and hot, arid climate.

Some months ago, Malta gained international recognition at the prestigious Golden Bee Award when the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee was one of two runners-up for its “visionary national insect initiative”.

The foundation works tirelessly to raise awareness of the Maltese honey bee to keep the tradition going. It has even commissioned a special children’s song about In-Naħla Katerina (Katerina the Bee) to raise awareness among schoolchildren about Malta’s honey heritage.

So, what makes Maltese honey so special? It owes its unique taste to the island’s diverse flora and microclimate and, of course, to the amazing Maltese bee. It is typically harvested three times a year, in spring, summer and autumn, with each season producing a distinct honey.

The first harvest takes place between March and May and is multifloral, made from a variety of flowers like borage, red clover, orange blossom and thistle.

It produces a light yellow honey with a sweet, delicate flavour.

The summer honey is the most sought after as it comes from wild thyme.

Traditionally, the harvest used to begin on the feast of St Anne on 26th July and is collected in the northwest of Malta, Gozo and Comino, where wild thyme grows abundantly. This honey is a light orange colour, with a strong fragrant thyme aroma.

Autumn honey is harvested from September to November, depending on when the rains start, and is produced from carob catkins, producing a darker honey with chocolate overtones.

Nothing was wasted. The crushed honeycomb was melted down with a little water, poured into a cloth bag, wrung out and then left to cool in a flatbottomed basin. As it cooled, it separated, forming a plug of virgin wax on top, used in churches to make candles, as furniture polish, or as a softening moisturiser for dry hands. The sweet, dark, liquid syrup that formed beneath, known as qastanija, was kept for Christmas to make qagħaq ta’ l-għasel (honey rings).

Honey collecting in Malta has moved on with the times, of course, and it is now less labour intensive, but the product is still unmistakably Maltese.

The ancient Romans had a delicious way of frying dates in honey, which was recorded

by Marcus Gavius Apicius, the most famous chef of antiquity.

Stuff destoned medjool dates with a mixture of finely chopped walnuts, pine nuts and pepper, roll them in salt and fry them briefly in hot honey until caramelised.

Serve the fried dates on a platter covered with oiled bay leaves to prevent them from sticking to the plate.

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Before the introduction of metal smokers, beekeepers would light a lump of dried mule dung perched on a large prickly pear leaf to smoke out the bees. Honey would be pressed out of the comb by hand onto a muslin cloth draped over a terracotta jar. The honeycomb was crushed and left on the muslin to drip overnight.

Honey was the key sweeting ingredient in all Maltese desserts before the introduction of sugar on the islands in the 16th century.

Some sweet treats, such as the Lenten biscuits, kwareżimal, or deep-fried ricotta-filled choux buns, żeppoli, which are made for the feast of St Joseph on 19th March, still rely on honey for their unique taste. And of course, every village festa in summer features a stand selling traditional nougat – qubbajt – which was traditionally made of honey.

Original recipe for Latin lovers: Dulcia domestica: palmulas vel dactylos excepto semine, nuce vel nucleis vel pipere trito infercies.

Sale foris contingis, frigis in melle cocto, et inferes.

Source: Historical Italian Cooking blog 79

FOOD

Words by

Ostrica

Fish al sale on the menu

Accompany your fresh catch of the day with fondant potatoes, fennel and corn fricassée, finished with beurre blanc for a taste of the sea.

At Ostrica at Gillieru, part of the Bastions Group portfolio, head chef Robert Gauci aims to offer a unique dining concept, drawing inspiration from the stunning seaside location overlooking St Paul’s Island.

His culinary vision emphasises the fresh, vibrant flavours of the sea, bringing a sense of innovation and refinement to every dish.

On the menu is his Fish al Sale, crafted from the freshest catch of the day. And Robert is delighted to share this special recipe, so the experience can be recreated at home to impress loved ones with both flavour and theatre.

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SERVES 2 INGREDIENTS FOR THE FISH AL SALE Catch of the day – select the fish to your liking (whole, scaled and gutted) 1.5kg rock salt 2 egg whites Fresh basil and marjoram (for stuffing the fish) Chopped parsley and dill 1 - 2 whole lemons (zest and slices)

FOR THE FRICASSÉE 2 lemons 300g fennel 300g cooked corn on the cob 1 spring onion, cleaned Fresh basil, parsley, dill FOR THE FONDANT POTATOES 3 large potatoes 70g butter 200ml chicken stock 3 sprigs thyme 1 clove garlic FOR THE BEURRE BLANC 240ml white wine 100ml white wine vinegar 50g shallot, finely chopped 450g butter, diced and chilled

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METHOD

FOR THE FENNEL AND CORN FRICASSÉE Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-assisted). Dice the fennel into small cubes. Remove the kernels from the corn. Place in a mixing bowl with chopped herbs, lemon zest, juice of half a lemon and finely chopped spring onion.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

FOR THE BEURRE BLANC In a small pan, combine white wine, white wine vinegar and shallots. Bring to a boil and reduce until two tablespoons of liquid remain. Strain into a clean pan and return to gentle heat. Whisk in the chilled diced butter, one piece at a time, until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat just before the last few cubes melt completely.

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Chef’s tip: For a dramatic table presentation, pour a little sambuca over the fish and carefully ignite it with a lighter before cracking open the salt crust. The flame enhances the aromas of herbs and lemon, making the reveal even more spectacular.

Head chef Robert Gauci.

FOR THE FISH AL SALE Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-assisted). Clean the fish thoroughly, making sure to rinse away any blood. Stuff the fish with basil and marjoram.

In a bowl, combine rock salt, chopped parsley, dill, lemon zest and egg whites. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread a layer of the salt mixture, place the fish on top, and cover completely with the remaining salt. Press down firmly to seal. Bake according to the weight of the fish: 15 minutes per 250g.

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LEGLIGIN 116, 119 St Lucia's Street, Valletta Step into Legligin and discover authentic Maltese flavours in the heart of Valletta. This cosy, family-run restaurant serves a blind-tasting menu, five courses at lunch and seven at dinner, featuring seasonal ingredients sourced almost entirely from local farmers. Each dish, from slow-cooked stews to delicately prepared fish, celebrates Malta’s rich culinary heritage. With its eclectic décor and carefully curated Maltese wines, Legligin offers a warm, unforgettable dining experience that feels both homely and timeless. (+356) 2122 1699 legliginmalta legligin

legliginrestaurant

KORA Dawret il-Gżejjer, St Paul’s Bay Sea and be seen at Kora. Nestled along Malta’s coast, this adults-only destination invites you to indulge in refined dining, crafted cocktails and effortless moments by the water. From fresh seafood to vibrant sushi and signature creations, every plate is designed to be savoured against a backdrop of golden sunsets and timeless views. From lunch to dinner, Kora offers an experience where every detail feels unforgettable. (+356) 7965 6034 koraexperience.com

kora.experience.malta

kora.experience.malta

CARVV GRILL & ENOTECA DoubleTree by Hilton Malta, St Paul’s Bay It’s time to Carvv. Nestled within the DoubleTree by Hilton Malta, Carvv Grill & Enoteca offers an exceptional dining experience built around the art of the grill.

Begin with a warm homemade soup, explore the abundant salad counter and savour perfectly carved cuts of premium meats. Complement your meal with a curated selection from the Enoteca. (+356) 7945 4538 doubletreemaltaexperience.com/explore/carvv-grill-enoteca/ CarvvGrill CarvvGrill

TA’ MARIJA – YOUR GASTRO MALTESE KITCHEN Constitution Street, Mosta Established in 1964, Ta’ Marija is one of Malta’s most historically rich restaurants.

Enjoy its Folklore Dinner shows on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for some Maltese liveliness. (Transport can be arranged.) The gastro menu is bursting with creativity and local traditions, stamped with Ta’ Marija’s signature flavours. From appetizers and platters to traditional homemade ravioli, Ta' Marija brings Maltese favourites to the table in a unique way. Mains include a popular rabbit selection, fish and shellfish in season, local meats and the famous Whisper chargrilled steaks. (+356) 2143 4444 tamarija.com TamarijaRestaurantMostaMalta

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MUŻA RESTAURANT Merchants Street, Valletta If you're looking for an extraordinary dining experience in the capital city, book a table at MUŻA Restaurant. Situated in the picturesque courtyard of an old auberge, MUŻA provides a cosy, laidback ambiance, perfect for a romantic dinner, or a night out with friends. The menu is bursting with fresh, local ingredients, and the knowledgeable staff can help you select the perfect wine to complement your meal. (+356) 7979 0900 MUZARestaurantValletta

muzarestaurant

OSTRICA 66, Church Street, St Paul’s Bay Discover Ostrica at Gillieru, where tradition meets innovation on the shores of St Paul’s Bay. Located within the iconic Gillieru Harbour Hotel, a landmark with over a century of history, it celebrates the finest local ingredients from fresh fish to dry-aged meats, prepared with a modern twist. Its talented chefs craft each dish with care, offering an unforgettable dining experience.

With stunning views of the bay and a tranquil atmosphere, Ostrica invites you to indulge in Malta’s rich culinary heritage. (+356) 7902 2371 ostrica.mt ostrica

ostrica

BOTTEGIN PALAZZO XARA Triq San Pawl, Rabat Tucked away in the heart of Rabat, just a short stroll from the historic Mdina, Bottegin Palazzo Xara offers an authentic Maltese dining experience. Situated within a local band club, the cosy bistro provides a welcoming atmosphere, while the peaceful Mediterranean Courtyard offers a tranquil setting for al fresco dining. The extensive menu features everything from hearty breakfasts to pizzas, pastas, grills and traditional local dishes. With soft jazz music and a vibrant, social atmosphere, it's the perfect place to dine like a local. (+356) 7945 4538 bottegin.com.mt

botteginpalazzoxara

botteginpalazzoxara

GROTTO TAVERN Misraħ Ii-Paroċċa, Rabat The Michelin-recommended Grotto Tavern restaurant offers a unique and unforgettable dining experience in the heart of Rabat. Nestled in a cave, the ambience is enchanting and romantic. Grotto Tavern’s chefs expertly craft tasting menus that showcase their passion for local and seasonal ingredients. Guests can sample innovative dishes by indulging in its fiveor seven-course experience. A visit to Grotto Tavern is a must for those seeking fine dining with a twist. (+356) 7945 3258 grottotavern.net

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grottotavernrestaurant

thegrottotavern

FOOD

ANDREW’S BAR St George’s Bay, St Julian’s Andrew's Bar is a freshly re-opened venue where fun is not optional, good food is compulsory, and building great memories is essential. Steeped in legacy, this is, in fact, Malta's oldest bar! The place is a go-to, and you're simply going to love indulging in the extensive menu, with a great local cuisine focus, serving traditional Maltese and modern dishes, such as pizza or pasta. Ideal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is also perfect for a quiet drink or two. (+356) 2138 8031 info@andrewsbar.com

TA' KOLINA 151, Tower Road, Sliema Ta’ Kolina is a quaint, family-run restaurant on Tower Road (one of Sliema’s most popular spots). Open since 1974, it is a typical Maltese restaurant with a traditional Maltese interior and décor. A set menu comprising of traditional Maltese food offers a choice of starter, main dish, dessert and coffee for €27 per person. There is also a vibrant à la carte menu and daily display of fresh local fish. Dining here is a true Maltese experience for a reasonable price. Ta' Kolina is open for both lunch and dinner from 12 to 10.30pm. (+356) 2133 5106 www.takolina.mt

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Malta’s oldest cafeteria in the heart of Valletta Step into history at Caffe Cordina, Malta’s most iconic café in the heart of Valletta in Republic Street.

Established in 1837, this family-run landmark blends tradition, quality and artistry - from timeless recipes and homemade treats to an

elegant setting adorned with paintings and history. With over 180 years of passion, Caffe Cordina remains a mustvisit destination where locals and visitors alike can enjoy Maltese flavours, fine coffee and experience the charm of Valletta’s cultural heart.

Monday – Saturday: 7.30 – 23.00 Sunday: 7.30 – 17.00 Hours may vary due to seasonality

www.caffecordina.com

FOOD

Words by

Karen Mugliett Karen is a Home Economics lecturer at the University of Malta and health educator who contributes actively to media discussions on food, education and well-being. She combines her professional expertise and deep interest in food culture and healthy living with a passion for exploring different cultures, cities and nature through travel.

A taste of wellness Cooking with Maltese herbs – the green threads weaving together the island’s story of well-being, culture and cuisine.

Flying into Malta, one is greeted not only by the island’s limestone cliffs and sparkling seas, but also by a heritage of flavour steeped in history. At the heart of this culinary tradition lies something deceptively simple yet powerful: herbs. Fragrant, fresh and functional, they are the green threads weaving together Malta’s story of wellness, culture and cuisine.

A RETURN TO OUR ROOTS In a world of fast food and over-processed meals, the rediscovery of herbs is more than nostalgia – it’s a return to balance. For centuries, Maltese families have relied on herbs not just to season food but to heal the body. As Hippocrates famously said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Our gardens, in many ways, were once our medicine cabinets.

THE EVERYDAY FLAVOURS OF MALTA Walk into any Maltese kitchen and you’ll find a handful of herbs that define our daily meals: • Parsley (tursin): the bright note in soups, salads and fresh fish.

• Basil (ħabaq): the soul of tomato sauces and ħobż biż-żejt (our iconic bread with tomato and olive oil).

• Mint (nagħniegħ): in rabbit stew, kusksu (a thick vegetable and pasta soup), or refreshing teas.

• Rosemary (klin): tucked into Sunday roasts and golden potatoes.

• Thyme (sagħtar): simmering in stews and sauces.

• Bay leaf (werqa randa): lending depth to broths, stews and braises.

These herbs, modest though they seem, are cornerstones of Maltese home cooking, bringing life, memory and Mediterranean sunshine to the table.

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FOOD

MALTA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN CONVERSATION Maltese cuisine is a dialogue across the sea. From Sicily, we inherit basil and baked pasta; from Tunisia, the use of parsley in couscous; from Greece, oregano on grilled meats. Rabbit stew, a Maltese favourite, echoes Sicilian coniglio alla cacciatora, both rich with rosemary and bay leaves. Even our culinary words – tursin, brodu, mqarrun – carry traces of Sicilian and Arabic influences, telling a story of exchange that spans centuries.

HERBS FOR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY Herbs do more than please the palate. They not only flavour our meals but also heal, supporting digestion, calming stress and easing inflammation. Mint tea, for example, soothes digestion, sage tea is used for sore throats, and fennel seeds ease bloating.

Herbs also help us reduce reliance on salt and sugar – essential with today’s diets – while adding natural depth to food. A pinch of thyme or a sprig of mint does exactly that without the need for excess seasoning – an invaluable ally for anyone managing blood pressure, diabetes or weight.

WELLNESS IN EVERY BITE The Mediterranean diet, celebrated globally as a model of health and sustainability, places herbs at its very

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foundation, alongside olive oil, legumes, grains and fresh produce.

Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it reminds us that herbs are not an occasional garnish but a daily ritual and that the simplest ingredients can offer the greatest benefits.

FROM KITCHEN TO CUP The Maltese have long understood that herbs belong not just on the plate but also in the cup. Herbal teas and tisanes soothe and restore: • Mint tea (nagħniegħ) for digestion.

• Sage tea (salvja) for sore throats.

• Chamomile (kamomilla) for sleep.

• Fennel seed (bużbież) for bloating.

Simple infusions, often passed down in families, are proof that wellness is often within arm’s reach, growing in our gardens or sold fresh at the village market.

WHERE TOURISTS CAN TASTE IT For travellers eager to savour this heritage, Malta’s openair markets are a feast for the senses. Visit the Sunday market at Marsaxlokk to see bunches of mint, parsley and sage piled high alongside fresh fish. In many restaurants, you’ll find rosemary-infused lamb, pasta seasoned with basil and oregano, or fresh fish with parsley.

recipe

Herb Rubs

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A herb rub is a simple mix of herbs, spices and sometimes salt, used to flavour meat, fish or vegetables before cooking.

You can make a rub either dry (just herbs and spices) or wet (add oil or other liquids).

Basic Dry Herb Rub (Mediterranean style): For a true taste of tradition, order aljotta, a fragrant fish soup seasoned with mint and parsley, or enjoy a local platter with cheeselets (ġbejniet), olives, local crackers (galletti), and ħobż biż-żejt drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil.

Or try these easy recipes at home: • Herb butter (mix chopped parsley, mint, garlic and lemon zest into softened butter) • Herb-infused olive oil (rosemary, chili, garlic in oil – great for dipping or dressings) • Chickpea salad mixed with fresh or dried mint and lemon • Grilled fish with dill and parsley rub MODERN TASTES, ANCIENT ROOTS While coriander and other non-traditional herbs are increasingly finding their way into Maltese kitchens through global food trends, our traditional herbs remain at the heart of local cooking. Whether it’s the freshness of parsley in a salad, basil on ħobż biż-żejt, or rosemary tucked into Sunday’s roast, these herbs tie us to our land, our past and our future.

A TASTE TO TAKE HOME Before leaving Malta, why not take a little of the island with you? Many local shops sell dried herbs such as thyme or rosemary. They make wonderful souvenirs, perfect for recreating Maltese flavours in your own kitchen.

INGREDIENTS • 1 tsp dried rosemary • 1 tsp dried thyme • 1 tsp dried oregano • 1 tsp garlic powder • ½ tsp sea salt • ½ tsp black pepper • Optional: pinch of crushed chili or lemon zest METHOD Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the mixture directly onto meat, fish, or vegetables.

Let it sit for 10 - 30 minutes (or longer for more flavour). Cook as desired – grill, roast, or pan-fry.

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EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE WHERE IT ALL STARTED

WHERE

IT ALL

STARTED

VISIT CISK THE HOME OF

The Brewhouse, Mdina Road, Birkirkara +356 2779 6700

Welcome!

Merħba!

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AIRLINE ????????

NEWS

KM MALTA AIRLINES

named APEX Four Star™ Major Airline for 2026

KM Malta Airlines has been honoured with the 2026 APEX Four Star™ Major Airline award, one of the most respected distinctions in the global aviation industry.

The award is presented by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and is based entirely on verified passenger feedback.

The APEX Five Star™ and Four Star™ Airline Awards are the only global airline honours determined solely through neutral, third-party passenger insights gathered via APEX’s partnership with TripIt® from Concur®, the world’s most widely used travel-organising app.

For the 2026 Awards, over one million PNR-verified flights were rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines worldwide using a five-star scale. These ratings were independently certified by a professional external auditing company to ensure integrity and transparency.

This year, APEX raised its ratings criteria significantly, limiting APEX Five Star™ recognition to the top 40 airlines worldwide – less than seven per cent of all airlines rated. The APEX Four Star™ designation recognises the next 50 airlines globally, representing just eight per cent of airlines worldwide, including the

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top 10 low-cost carriers. Together with the 10 APEX World Class™ airlines, these carriers represent the Top 100 airlines in the world for passenger experience.

“Just 18 months after our inaugural flight on 31st March 2024, we are honoured to be named an APEX Four Star™ Major Airline for 2026,” said David Curmi, Executive Chairman of KM Malta Airlines. “This award is a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering an exceptional travel experience for our passengers, and we are proud to be ranked among the world’s leading airlines.”

The award was officially presented at the APEX/IFSA Global EXPO on 11th September 2025, where airlines and industry leaders from around the world gathered to celebrate innovation and excellence in passenger experience. This recognition further strengthens KM Malta Airlines’ commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, as the airline continues building a national carrier of choice.

AIRLINE NEWS

DISCOVER

Travel Deals and Lowest Fares Ready to plan your next trip? Scan the QR code and visit kmmaltairlines.com/en/flights to find our best travel deals from Malta to all our destinations!

Browse by destination, explore travel inspiration and see the lowest fares available by date – perfect for flexible planners. Whether it’s a quick escape or your dream holiday, your best deal is just a click away!

WHAT’S THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? The most rewarding part of my job is being able to promote KM Malta Airlines while staying closely connected to the local market. Over the years, I’ve built strong relationships with travel agents, and I really enjoy keeping in touch with them through visits or calls. It’s fulfilling to combine promoting our airline with maintaining those personal connections that make the industry feel more like a community.

IF SOMEONE’S VISITING MALTA FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT’S THE ONE THING THEY MUST SEE OR DO? Although there’s so much to do in Malta, I would recommend spending a day in Gozo. A boat trip at Dwejra is a must. Even though it’s short, you get to experience crystal-clear waters, dramatic cliffs and beautiful caves. It’s a unique spot that really captures the natural beauty of the islands.

FAVOURITE MALTESE PHRASE? My favourite Maltese word has to be mela. It’s a short word but carries so many meanings, depending entirely on the tone of voice. It can express agreement, surprise, encouragement, or even just fill a pause in conversation. It’s one of those unique Maltese expressions that you’ll hear everywhere, and it really captures the character and warmth of everyday life here.

WINDOW OR AISLE SEAT? Window seat, always! There’s something magical about watching the world unfold below you. My favourite is watching the sparkling coastlines. It makes the journey just as exciting as the destination.

Amanda Willoughby Sales Executive

WHAT DESTINATION ON OUR NETWORK WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR A WEEKEND TRIP, AND WHY? For a weekend getaway, I’d recommend London. With our daily flights, getting there is a breeze, so you can make the most of every hour. From the iconic landmarks and theatre performances, or simply wandering along the Thames, London is full of energy and surprises; all in a compact, easily walkable city.

IF YOU COULD SWAP ROLES FOR A DAY WITH SOMEONE IN THE AIRLINE, WHAT ROLE WOULD IT BE AND WHY? If I could swap jobs for a day, I’d choose a role in the marketing department.

They get to be at the heart of all the exciting campaigns, promoting new routes, special offers and delivering unique experiences to passengers. It would be fascinating to see how creative ideas come to life and reach so many people, while also learning how to shape the airline’s image and connect with travellers.

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Exciting rewards Seamless travel perks Exclusive offers and discounts … and much more!

AIRLINE NEWS

EARN INSTANTLY! Just joined KM Rewards? You can still earn on flights flown up to three months before your enrolment date. It’s our way of helping you get the most out of every trip, right from the start.

BOOK FASTER, FLY SOONER! Log in to your account before you book and let us do the work for you!

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SKYBUX AT YOUR SERVICE – NOW ONLINE! Whether you fly often or just once in a while, your SkyBux can help you save on your next trip with KM Malta Airlines.

Use them to save on your flight or to enjoy extras like extra legroom or more baggage. With our easy-to-use slider, you decide how much SkyBux and cash to combine.

Your SkyBux are ready to go!

AND THERE’S MORE TO COME! New ways to redeem your SkyBux are on the way – not just for travel, but beyond. Stay tuned!

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FLIGHT INFORMATION

KM MALTA AIRLINES DIRECT FLIGHTS

Amsterdam

Berlin

London – Heathrow London – Gatwick Brussels

Düsseldorf Prague

Paris – Charles de Gaulle

Munich

Paris – Orly

Vienna Zurich

Lyon Milan – Linate

Rome – Fuminicio

Istanbul

Madrid

Malta

WINTER SCHEDULE 2025/2026 Mon

Tue

Wed

Thur

Fri

Amsterdam (AMS) Berlin (BER) Brussels (BRU) Düsseldorf (DUS) Istanbul (IST) London (LHR) London (LGW) Lyon (LYS) Madrid (MAD) Milan (LIN) Munich (MUC) Paris (CDG) Paris (ORY) Prague (PRG) Rome (FCO) Vienna (VIE) Zurich (ZRH)

Information is subject to change.

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Sun

FLIGHT????????

INFORMATION

FLIGHT AND COMPANY INFORMATION INFORMAZZJONI DWAR IT-TITJIRA U L-KUMPANIJA

Welcome on board KM Malta Airlines

Merħba abbord il-KM Malta Airlines

We’re excited to have you with us and want to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable flight. Here are a few important tips to keep everything smooth and safe for everyone.

Aħna ħerqanin li inti tkun magħna, u rridu nkunu żguri li jkollok titjira komda u pjaċevoli. Hawnhekk issib ftit pariri importanti biex jinżamm kollox pinna u sigur għal kulħadd.

OUR MAIN AIRPORT HUB IĊ-ĊENTRU EWLIENI TAL-AJRUPORT TAGĦNA Malta International Airport (MLA), the main hub for KM Malta Airlines, first opened in 1958 as Luqa Airport and has since grown into a modern, world-class facility. Playing a crucial role in connecting the island to hundreds of destinations, MLA supports KM Malta Airlines’ extensive network of flights. Guided by core values, the airport ensures a seamless travel experience for all passengers. By working sustainably and collaboratively with its partners, MLA continues to enhance Malta's connectivity and deliver exceptional service to travellers worldwide.

L-Ajruport Internazzjonali ta’ Malta (MLA), iċ-ċentru ewlieni għall-KM Malta Airlines, fetaħ għall-ewwel darba fl-1958 u minn dakinhar kiber f’faċilità moderna u ta’ klassi dinjija. Bi rwol kruċjali biex jgħaqqad ’il gżiritna ma’ mijiet ta’ destinazzjonijiet, l-MLA jappoġġja x-xibka estensiva tat-titjiriet tal-KM Malta Airlines. Iggwidat minn valuri tal-qalba, l-ajruport jiżgura esperjenza ta’ vjaġġ trankwill għall-passiġġieri kollha. Permezz tal-ħidma sostenibbli u kollaborattiva mal-imsieħba tiegħu, l-MLA jissokta jsaħħaħ l-konnettività ta’ Malta u jagħti servizz eċċezzjonali lill-vjaġġaturi mad-dinja kollha.

OUR FLEET IL-FLOTTA TAGĦNA AIRBUS 320NEO

QUANTITY: 8 IN FLEET NUMBER OF SEATS: 180 ENGINES: CFM LEAP-1A MAXIMUM TAKE OFF WEIGHT: 73.5 / 77 METRIC TONS OVERALL LENGTH: 37.57M WINGSPAN: 35.8M CRUISING SPEED: MACH 0.78 (450KNOTS, 833KM/HR) RANGE: 6,500KM, 3,500 NMI, 4,025 SMI FUEL CONSUMPTION: 1.8 LITRES PER 100KM PER PASSENGER* * Based on a 1,000NM (1,860KM) journey with 180 pax and bags.

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FLIGHT INFORMATION

A quick heads-up!

Inħejjuk bil-quddiem!

SEATBELT SAFETY

Your seatbelt is here for your protection!

Please fasten it whenever the seatbelt sign is on or while the aircraft is moving. For your safety, we recommend keeping it fastened throughout the flight. If you’re travelling with a child under two, they’ll need to be secured on your lap with an infant seatbelt, which our crew will be happy to provide.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Only alcohol served by our crew is allowed on board, and it’s only for passengers aged 17 and over. Remember, alcohol can have a stronger effect at high altitudes, so please enjoy responsibly. In line with international regulations, we may prevent intoxicated passengers from boarding or continuing their journey.

PHOTOGRAPHY ETIQUETTE

We want everyone to feel comfortable, so please respect your fellow passengers and crew. Please do not take photos or videos on board without their verbal permission.

NO SMOKING ZONE

For the safety and comfort of everyone, smoking – including e-cigarettes and vaping – is strictly prohibited at any time when on board the aircraft. If you see anyone smoking, let our crew know immediately.

SURVEY

Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance at KM Malta Airlines and we are always looking for ways to improve. Scan the QR code to tell us about your experience and be in with a chance to win a pair of return flights with us!

IS-SIGURTÀ TAĊ-ĊINTURIN

Iċ-ċinturin tiegħek qiegħed għall-protezzjoni tiegħek! Jekk jogħġbok aqflu kull meta s-sinjal taċ-ċinturin ikun mixgħul jew sakemm ikun miexi l-ajruplan. Għas-sigurtà tiegħek, aħna nirrakkomandaw li żżommu maqful matul it-titjira kollha. Jekk qed tivvjaġġa bl-ulied taħt is-sentejn, dawn għandhom jinżammu fuq ħoġrok b’ċinturin għat-trabi li l-ekwipaġġ ikun kuntent li jagħtik.

IL-KONSUM TAL-ALKOĦOL

Abbord huwa permessibbli biss l-alkoħol servut mill-ekwipaġġ tagħna, u dan qiegħed biss għallpassiġġieri li għandhom 17-il sena jew iktar. Ftakar, f’altitudnijiet għolja l-alkoħol jista’ jkollu effetti aqwa, għalhekk, jekk jogħġbok, ħu gost b’mod responsabbli.

Skont ir-regolamenti internazzjonali, nistgħu nipprevjenu lill-passiġġieri fis-sakra milli jitilgħu abbord jew milli jissuktaw bil-vjaġġ tagħhom.

L-ETIKETT TAL-FOTOGRAFIJA

Irridu li kulħadd iħossu komdu, għalhekk, jekk jogħġbok, irrispetta lill-passiġġieri ta’ miegħek u lillekwipaġġ. Jekk jogħġbok tiħux ritratti jew filmati abbord mingħajr il-permess verbali tagħhom.

POST LI FIH MA TPEJJIPX

Għas-sigurtà u l-kumdità ta’ kulħadd, it-tipjip – inklużi s-sigaretti elettroniċi u vaping – huwa pprojbit f’kull waqt abbord l-ajruplan. Jekk tara lil xi ħadd ipejjep, għarraf lill-ekwipaġġ tagħna minnufih.

STĦARRIĠ

Is-sodisfazzjon tal-klijent huwa tal-ogħla importanza għall- KM Malta Airlines u b’hekk aħna dejjem infittxu modi kif intejbu dan. Skennja l-kodiċi QR biex tgħidilna iktar dwar l-esperjenza tiegħek u idħol fiċ-ċans li tirbaħ magħna żewġ biljetti bir-ritorn!

SCAN & WIN • SKENNJA U IRBAĦ • SCAN & WIN • SKENNJA U IRBAĦ 98

ELECTRONIC ????????

DEVICES

USING PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PEDs) L-UŻU TAT-TAGĦMIR ELETTRONIKU PORTABBLI (PEDs) Most portable electronic devices (PEDs) are equipped with powerful lithium batteries. Under certain conditions, these can overheat and catch fire. By following these instructions, you will be enhancing safety on board our aircraft. Monitor your PEDs during the flight and protect them from damage and unintentional activation. E-cigarettes and power banks can be easily activated and raise their temperature quickly. Keep them on your person if you can, and do not place them next to flammable items such as perfume when in hand baggage. Power banks are not to be used or charged during the flight.

PEDs IN FLIGHT MODE

Any devices that can send or receive data by wireless means, such as smartphones, tablets and e-readers must be switched to flight mode before departure and can be used throughout the flight. If data transmission capability cannot be switched off while the device is operating, the device itself must be switched off completely for the duration of the flight. Bluetooth connectivity can be used during all phases of flight.

LARGER DEVICES (LAPTOPS, LARGE TABLETS)

These should be turned off and stowed away during taxi, take-off and landing, but you’re free to use them during the cruise.

Wi-Fi

The use of Wi-Fi with flight mode enabled is allowed on aircraft which are equipped with an in-flight entertainment system. Follow any crew instructions regarding connectivity.

USE OF HEADPHONES

Headphones may be used during all phases of flight, however we ask you to remove them during the safety briefing. Customers sitting in an emergency exit row must refrain from using headphones during taxi, take-off and landing.

DAMAGED OR OVERHEATING DEVICES

If any device is damaged, starts to overheat or produces smoke, is lost or falls into the seat structure, please notify our crew immediately.

Do not try to retrieve it yourself if it falls between seats; we’ll take care of it. Carriage of damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries or devices is prohibited on board our flights.

We kindly ask that all passengers follow these guidelines for the safety and comfort of everyone on board. Have a fantastic flight with KM Malta Airlines!

Ħafna mill-PEDs huma mgħammra b’batteriji b’saħħithom tal-litju. Meta jkunu taħt ċerti kundizzjonijiet dawn jistgħu jisħnu żżejjed u jieħdu n-nar. Jekk issegwi dawn l-istruzzjonijiet, inti tkun qed issaħħaħ is-sigurtà abbord l-ajruplani tagħna. Osserva l-PEDs tiegħek matul ittitjira u pproteġihom mill-ħsara u milli jixegħlu b’mod mhux intenzjonat. Is-sigaretti elettroniċi u l-power banks jistgħu jixegħlu faċilment u t-temperatura tagħhom tista’ tiżdidilhom malajr. Jekk tista’ żommhom fuqek, u tqegħedhomx ħdejn oġġetti li jieħdu n-nar bħal fwieħa meta dawn ikunu fil-bagalja tal-idejn. Il-power banks m’għandhomx jintużaw jew jiġu ċċarġjati matul it-titjira.

IL-PEDs FUQ IL-MODALITÀ TAT-TITJIRA

Kwalunkwe tagħmir elettroniku li jista’ jibgħat jew jirċievi d-data mingħajr il-ħtieġa ta’ wajer, bħall-ismartphones, it-tablets u l-e-readers għandhom jinqalbu għall-modalità tat-titjira qabel it-tluq, u hekk jistgħu jintużaw matul ittitjira kollha. Jekk il-funzjoni tat-trasmissjoni tad-data ma tistax tintefa waqt li t-tagħmir elettroniku jkun mixgħul, it-tagħmir innifsu għandu jintefa għalkollox tul it-titjira kollha. Il-konnettività tal-Bluetooth tista’ tintuża tul il-fażijiet kollha tat-titjira.

IT-TAGĦMIR ELETTRONIKU TA’ DAQS IKBAR (LAPTOPS, TABLETS KBAR)

Dawn għandhom jintfew u jintrefgħu matul is-sewqan, it-tlugħ u l-inżul, iżda tista’ tużahom b’mod liberu tul il-kruċiera.

IL-Wi-Fi

L-użu tal-Wi-Fi bil-modalità tat-titjira mixgħula huwa permessibbli fuq l-ajruplani mgħammra bis-sistema taddivertiment ta’ matul it-titjira. Segwi kull istruzzjoni talekwipaġġ rigward il-konnettività.

L-UŻU TAL-HEADPHONES

Il-headphones jistgħu jintużaw tul il-fażijiet kollha tat-titjira, madankollu nitolbuk tneħħihom waqt l-ispjegazzjoni tas-sigurtà. Il-klijenti bilqiegħda f’xi filliera tal-ħruġ tal-emerġenza m’għandhomx jużaw ilheadphones matul is-sewqan, it-tlugħ u l-inżul.

IT-TAGĦMIR ELETTRONIKU BIL-ĦSARA JEW LI JKUN SAĦAN IŻŻEJJED Jekk xi tagħmir elettroniku jkollu l-ħsara, jibda jisħon jew idaħħan, jintilef jew jaqa’ fl-istruttura tal-pultruna, jekk jogħġbok għarraf lill-ekwipaġġ tagħna minnufih.

Tippruvax issibu inti jekk jaqa’ bejn il-pultruni; nieħdu ħsiebu aħna. Il-ġarr ta’ batteriji tal-litju jew tagħmir elettroniku bil-ħsara, difettuż jew wieħed li ntalab jinġabar lura huwa pprojbit abbord it-titjiriet tagħna.

Ġentilment nitolbu li l-passiġġieri kollha jsegwu dawn il-linji gwida għas-sigurtà u l-kumdità ta’ kulħadd abbord. Nixtiqulek titjira fantastika mal-KM Malta Airlines!

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