{"id":863,"date":"2021-05-04T09:42:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T09:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=863"},"modified":"2021-05-04T16:30:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T16:30:56","slug":"viva-malta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=863","title":{"rendered":"Viva Malta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The track below is entitled Viva Malta and is performed by the Maltese singer Freddie Portelli. As well as writing songs and performing in a number of bands, Freddie represented his country at Waterpolo.&nbsp; The song is a patriotic one, written on his return to the island after a worldwide tour.&nbsp; The lyrics sing of the bravery of the people.&nbsp; Of course the island was awarded the George Cross to &#8220;bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people&#8221; by King George VI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Viva Malta- Freddie Portelli\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sK6UlkCElyw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Viva Malta &#8211; Freddie P<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Malta comprises of a series of islands of which only three, Malta, Gozo and Comino are inhabited.\u00a0 They lie in the Central Mediterranean about 50 miles from Italy and 176 miles east of Tunisia.\u00a0 It&#8217;s so close to Africa you could almost say you were there.\u00a0 Certainly, weather wise you will notice the benefits of being so far south. \u00a0The Maltese tourist board advertises it as an all year round destination. The winters are mild and the summers hot.\u00a0 Valletta\u00a0\u2013 the capital of Malta has the warmest winters in Europe and you get the bonus of an extra couple of hours of daylight compared to London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-1389956_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Valetta, Malta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst Malta is clearly a sun destination, there are over 7000 years of history to discover.\u00a0 Its location at the centre point of the Mediterranean means that at one time or another, Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, the Knights of St. John, French, and British have influenced the country\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A good starting point is a trip to the old capital of Mdina. According to tradition it was here that in 60 A.D. that the Apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the Islands. The city is famous for its dominating fortifications and its narrow streets and alleyways due to space being so limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/house-1961682_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Mdina Streets, Malta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> Mdina is one of Europe&#8217;s finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture.\u00a0 You will find a number of enticing cafes and restaurants during your wanderings around the narrow streets and alleyways.\u00a0 Don\u2019t miss out St Paul\u2019s Cathedral, its museum and the city walls which will get you fantastic views over the island and spectacular views of the sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1-1568x1046.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/malta-2059102_1920-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>St Paul\u2019s Cathedral, Mdina, Malta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next door is Rabat, where you will find the largest underground Roman cemetery in Malta, the St Paul\u2019s catacombs.&nbsp; Located between Rabat and Mdina is \u201cDomvs Romana\u201d a museum housing the ruins of a traditional Roman villa. While little remains of the villa itself, there is an impressive collection of excellently preserved mosaics and other Roman antiquities that have been found by archaeologists throughout Malta. The site is also the location of an 11<sup>th<\/sup> century Muslim cemetery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst in Malta, \u00a0you must seek out the Mosta Dome. Officially, the church is The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady since it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by the Vatican in July 2018. This neo-classical style church is dedicated to St Mary and its dome at 220 feet high, is bigger than that of St Paul\u2019s in London. \u00a0Giorgio Grognet de Vass\u00e9 (a Maltese architect) based on the Roman Pantheon. Replacing a much smaller church it was built in just 28 years, between 1833 and the early 1860s. Much of the inside is decorated in gilt and the floors are paved with marble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920-1568x1176.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/dome-116662_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Mosta Dome, Malta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On 9th April 1942, a group of around 300 worshippers was gathered in the church for the evening when a 1,000 lbs German bomb pierced through the ceiling and smashed a hole into the floor below. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed as the bomb did not detonate. At the time it was declared be a miracle and a sign of divine intervention from God who was protecting the nation during the Second World War.&nbsp; In total, three bombs were dropped on the church \u2013 two deflected without exploding, and one went through the ceiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mosta-1164590_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Mosta Dome Roof, Malta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If the Second World War is of special interest to you then head for the Lascaris War Rooms, an underground complex of tunnels and chambers in Valletta, that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of the island was conducted during the Second World War. They are located below the Upper Barrakka Gardens which are worth a visit on their own account offering super views across the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time we have, we have only touched on a minute part of what Malta has to offer, and remember that there are 3 islands to visit.\u00a0 Contact <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelcounsellors.co.uk\/maggie.bush\" target=\"_blank\">Maggie<\/a> today and find out more about your trip to Malta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sub>Any links with an * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to us.<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The track below is entitled Viva Malta and is performed by the Maltese singer Freddie Portelli. As well as writing songs and performing in a number of bands, Freddie represented his country at Waterpolo.&nbsp; The song is a patriotic one, written on his return to the island after a worldwide tour.&nbsp; The lyrics sing of &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=863\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Viva Malta&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[195,476,494,91,657,179,20,656,477,655,1],"tags":[96,94,667,659,487,658,661,665,664,660,666,662,663],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activities","category-battlefield","category-beach","category-city","category-comino","category-diving","category-europe","category-gozo","category-historical","category-malta","category-uncategorized","tag-beach","tag-city","tag-freddie-portelli","tag-gozo-comino","tag-historical","tag-malta","tag-mdina","tag-mosta-doma","tag-st-pauls","tag-valetta","tag-viva-malta","tag-ww2","tag-wwii","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":883,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions\/883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}