MALTA

Due to its central Mediterranean location, Malta has been influenced by several civilisations, and today has some of the world’s oldest free-standing structures, many of its best-preserved Baroque buildings, and one of Europe’s best-preserved 16th-century fortresses.

The island and wider archipelago was turned into a stronghold against the Ottomans by the Knights of St. John, an order of medieval warrior monks who built Fort St. Elmo and the walls surrounding what in 1571 became the island’s capital, Valletta. Today, the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its dense concentration of historic areas. Baroque architecture is everywhere, from the narrow streets to St. John’s Co-Cathedral, with its nine chapels and Caravaggio artworks.

The island’s former capital, Mdina, “the Silent City”, is also renowned for its preserved 16th-century buildings, as are the Three Cities – Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua – a trio of fortified medieval towns across Valletta’s Grand Harbour. An even more laidback option for an excursion is the back-to-nature Gozo, the second-largest island in this small chain.