TRAVEL & LEISURE

While certainly smaller than the Vatican in Rome, this cathedral is every bit as opulent, and jaw dropping in its beauty and works of art. Throughout the centuries, every grand master of the Knight of St. John and many individual knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich the church, with the best works of art by leading artists of the time The church was built by the Order’s military engineer and architect Gironimo Cassar. Its austere design reflects the sombre mood of the Order after the Great Siege of 1565.

The façade is buttressed by two large bell towers topped with octagonal spires The church is rectangular in shape with a wide nave, roofed over with a barrel vault. The oratory and the sacristy were built in 1604.

Visitors are given a headset and tour independently, going to the posted number for each section of the cathedral. This allowed for enjoying the tour at your own pace. However, there is such a considerable amount of art, history and general beauty to take in; I had to revisit this breathtaking place later in my trip just to get a fuller appreciation for this wonderfully preserved church.

One of the highlights in the oratory is a painting by Caravaggio, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist is widely considered one of his most important works. Completed in 1608, the painting had been commissioned by the Knights of Malta as an altarpiece. Measuring 370 by 520 centimetres (150 in × 200 in) was the largest altarpiece Caravaggio painted.

I found the history around Caravaggio very entertaining. From all accounts, he was a volatile character Brawling and mayhem seemed attached to him wherever he went Charged in the death of a man in Italy he fled to Malta, hoping to receive a papal pardon with the patronage of a Knight. This was not to happen and he again got into trouble. He was imprisoned in Valletta and later aided in an escape to Sicily.

Speaking of Sicily, the little side trip we planned was drastically interrupted by storm Helios. The storm started in earnest February 9th, with newspapers predicting “the worst was yet to come”. Our flight was at 10 pm that night. We had planned a few days in Catania, Sicily during the second week in February.

We monitored the Air Malta website and as it still said the flight was a go, we headed to the airport Finally, after repeated delays, at 1:30 am, we were told the Catania airport had closed But there was still the possibility of landing in Palermo, where we’d be bussed back to Catania. This would be a 2+ hour drive, still in the storm what could possibly go wrong? We opted for the refund and headed home. But as with most airlines post pandemic, the refund is likely to take months.

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Following the storm, the weather cleared and we again started our exploration of Malta. The capital of Malta, Valletta is always a great place to wander. Everywhere you look there is history surrounding you, along with many cafes and shops. Walking around, Freda discovered a tour, that I hadn’t been able to visit my first trip…Underground Valletta. As with most Heritage Malta sites, tickets must be pre booked and as time was limited for Freda, she chose to go on her own when there was one ticket only available Bev and I went later after Freda had gone.

Beneath Valletta runs a catacomb of tunnels. First dug by the Knights of St. John as secret escape routes from the cathedral and then later enlarged as shelters during World War 2. These tunnels, carved out of the soft sandstone, were able to house up to 30,000 people.

But the conditions were far from ideal. There was no electricity, no toilets, and very cramped conditions. If residents could afford it, they could buy a small (approximately 10 x 12 foot) room for their family If not, they had to stay in common areas with no privacy at all Conditions were always damp, with water dripping from the rock continuously. Disease was rampant.

During World War 2, Malta was the most bombed country in Europe. Malta holds the record for the heaviest, sustained bombing attack: during some 154 days and nights, they endured 6,700 tons of bombs. Along with the bombs, any supply ship attempting to bring much needed food was destroyed, in an attempt to starve the Maltese people into surrender. Malta lies between Africa and Italy and was a much-desired location during the war

On 15 April 1942 King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism.

While we didn’t make it to Sicily, we did take a short trip to Gozo another of the three Maltese islands. Having been before, I chose to revisit the lovely boutique hotel, Casa Gemelli. And as in my other visits, the accommodations were outstanding. The twin sisters, Anna and Sonia, running this hotel have spared no expense in restoring and renovating this lovely building It was nice to see Bev and Freda agree that this was an excellent place to stay.

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On Gozo, we opted to do some exploring on our own and started with a tour of the Citadel. The Cittadella contains churches and other historic buildings, including the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was built between 1697 and 1711. The citadel has been included on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998

On Gozo, we also headed to the Blue Lagoon. Once the site of the Azure Window, a beautiful rock formation over the sea. In March 2017, the entire formation collapsed into the Mediterranean following a storm. The boat tour is still lovely and the guide points out where the Window stood before collapse. Back in Malta and unable to get a tour while Freda was still here; Bev and I were lucky enough to have a friend of Sandra’s, who was a tour guide prior to covid, take us on a private walking tour of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, known as the Three Cities of Malta. These fortified cities sit like a trio of villages in the heart of Malta's historic centre, directly across the Grand Harbour from Valletta This area was once home to most of the knights The tour was wonderfully presented and the guide very knowledgeable. As an added bonus that was the evening Jupiter, the moon and Venus were visible over Valletta.

*Read next week’s Paris Independent issue as Karon takes us to Sicily!*