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Essential Malta and Gozo
(AAA Essential Guides) by Pat Levy
All you need to know in a handy
pocket guide. Get the most from your holiday with "AA Essential Guide" -
compact yet packed with information, helpful and easy to use. The Top Ten
sights are picked out for you by the expert author and key places to visit
in the main A to Z section are given star ratings to help you decide.
Useful features such as The Ten Essentials (experiences not to be missed)
and Peace and Quiet (getting off the beaten track) provide the perfect
introduction. Detailed lists recommend the best places to eat and drink;
where to shop; children's attractions; local activities and nightlife. All
this, plus suggested walks and drives, colour photographs throughout,
clear maps and practical travel advice.
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10 Essential
visits in Malta
Malta and Gozo draw together a richness of archaeological and architectural
treasures, in a hospitable climate where the temperature climbs to 35 C and
makes the clear blue sea the most excellent of baths, and water sports a
pleasure. The islands come to life with festivals known as festas which open up
Maltese culture to visitors. Even tourist enclaves have their own festivals
every night in pubs and discos. The people are Maltas strongest asset. They are
proud but not narrowly nationalistic, deeply religious but not repressive,
curteus but not superficial.
If you have only a short time to visit Malta & Gozo, or would like to get a
really complete picture of the country, here are the essentials.
1 see the Malta Experience- audio visual show in Valletta for an enjoyable
dip into history, covering 7000 years in 50 minutes.
2 Go to a local
village festa, the Maltese village festival, for the fun and the vitality,
the colour and the sound effects.
3 Enjoy Maltese food by tucking in to pastizzi with your mid- morning
drink, and have at least one picnic with fresh maltese bread bought before 11AM
and peppered cheese from Gozo.
4. Spend more than a day in Gozo because the pleasure of being here lies in
its unhurried pace and a quick visit will fail to do justice to its many charms.
The maltese themselves escape to Gozo for relaxing breaks with the "get away
from it all theme" in mind. There are lots of
private farmhouses and villas that
can be rented out for short breaks of min. a weekend or a week. Booking way in
advance is highly recommended as they are almost always fully booked.
Getting to Gozo is possible by the car ferry or by helicopter and both are fun.
5 Visit St. Johns Co-Cathedral in
Valletta and see the
Caravaggio paintings.
The Italian painter came to Malta in 1607 and stayed only 14 months before he
escaped from prison for an unknown crime.
6 See
Mdina, the ancient capital, walled by the Arabs and separated from the
suburbs which became Rabat. History stares back at you from the walls.
7 Visit at least one of the prehistoric sites. Ggantija in Gozo, Tarxien
Temples, Ghar Dalam. All bear claim to Colin Renfrews claim in " Before
Civilisation" that the great temples of Malta and Gozo lay claim to be the
worlds most impressive prehistoric monuments.
8 Go for a walk around Valletta, visiting a Church here , a museum or
art gallery there; visit the forts and gardens.
9 Buy some Maltese glass or Maltes lace both artisitic and affordable
examples of Maltese handicraft. You will also find visiting the local markets
intersting.
10
Take a Cruise around the Grand Harbour , a magnificent and truly
formidable sight that sparks the immagination.
Other Island cruises are
possible, including the day tours around the islands and the Blue Lagoon in
Comino is a favourite.
You can pick up an island cruise from Sliema
front,opposite the Strand. From Gozo you can book day or night trips
around the islands from Xlendi and Marsalforn.
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