Of the thousands of tourists who annually make their way from London, Paris, Rome, and other European cities, for their holidays, only a small portion venture to stop at the small island in the middle of the mediterranean and stray away off the beaten track to where Lord Byron found love in the arms of Mrs Spencer Smith, and Turner painted the Grand Harbour with his romantic colours.
Yet there is no other capital in Europe where the traveler’s expectation of novelty is more than ever fulfilled with the charm and character of a Princely city. Valletta City of the Knights of Malta will surely cast a spell upon you from the moment you step inside its walled confines. While other European cities are becoming more similar as they grow larger, the tourist may at least rest assured that there still remains a place within a short distance where over-civilization has not yet quite ruined the ideals for the poet and the painter. There is no need to be advised that here is novelty at last, as you enter the city gate during the summer months.
The festive character of Valletta will surely capture your imagination and take you back to a grand entrance fit for a prince or head of a state. Rest assured that during the summer months one of the 25 churches in Valletta will be celebrating its feast, and there is no better place to capture the baroque spirit of this unique city than to walk through the colourful decorated streets, lined with statues of angels and saints all looking down on you from the high pedestals which line the streets. Enter the dimly lit churches and be amazed with the colour of the damask which hang on the walls; the huge chandeliers which are lit for the occasion and the statue of the patron saint which is taken out of its niche to be enjoyed in all its splendor.
No photographs can give you the same experience which you get when walking through these streets, and the truth is that these celebrations are not staged for tourist, but are real cultural traditions which are still alive today.
