The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite travel while the Throne Room, or former Hall of the Supreme Council of the Knights, has top quality frescoes that show impressions of the Great Siege and portraits of Grandmasters and other rulers’ hand in the Hall of Ambassadors. The Red Room is decorat- ed with furniture in crimson from Louis XV and a high fresco demonstrates episodes from the early history of the Order of St. John. Thanks to the military success of its strategic location, Vallet- ta was able to dock its battleships and still keep invaders out by closing off the entrance. After the Great Siege of 1565, the most famous event in Malta’s history, the entire harbour was surrounded by massive fortifications, bastions, and defensive towers. In this battle the knights, led by Grand Master Jean de Valette, heroically defeated the ruthless Ottoman Turk invaders. Today the harbour welcomes large commercial ships, ocean lin- ers, and cruise ships. Shaped like a multi-pronged fork, the harbour branches off into smaller creeks where there are many yacht marinas and boat docks. The ports around the Valletta Grand Harbour provide enough docks for thousands of boats, making it one of the largest marinas in the world. Here you will find a semicircle of densely populated little towns like Kalkara, Vittoriosa, Cospic- ua, Senglea, Paola and Marsa, with the last three known as the ‘Three Cities’ which were the original settlement of the Knights. But the Maltese didn’t fare so well when it came to World War II which went down in history as the second Siege of Malta. As they were strategically positioned in the Mediterranean, this small island played a key part in the Second World War. At the time they were part of the British Commonwealth and were vi- tal to the allies as the only British-held harbour between Gibral- tar and Alexandria and also were a base for air and submarine operations against Axis convoys supplying North Africa. Caught in the middle between their allies and Axis powers, they were subjected to some of the heaviest bombing attacks of the entire war. German and Italian forces attempted to starve Mal- ta’s military and civilian population of essential supplies and sunk many ships laden with supplies for the island before they could reach Valletta. In March and April 1942, Malta had more bombs dropped on them than London did during the Blitz. Out of 14 vessels that attempted to reach the island, only five made it although with some damages. Malta’s National War Museum in the historic Fort Saint Elmo overlooking the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour displays military memorabilia from the British period with a special focus on the Second World War. Found underneath the Upper Barrakka Gardens, the Lascaris War Rooms is an under- ground tunnel complex where visitors can see the original fight- er control rooms and the place where WWII operations against the Germans and Italians were planned. Absolutely amazing and intriguing is the Hal Saflieni Hypo- geum which is an underground prehistoric burial site. It was discovered in 1902 during construction works and was first excavated by Fr Emmanuel Magri between 1904 and 1906. This amazing place is a complex made up of interconnecting rock-cut chambers set on three distinct levels with the earliest remains at the site dating back to around 4000BC. You’ll be in- trigued by the uppermost level that consists of a large hollow with burial chambers on its sides. A doorway to the Middle Level contains some of the best- known features of the Hypogeum such as the intricate red ochre wall paintings and the beautifully carved features in imitation of architectural elements common in contemporaneous Mega- lithic Temples. The Lower Level known as the ‘Holy of Holies’ is accessed down seven steps from the Middle Level. Thanks to an environmental control system, the temperature and humidity are kept constant at required levels. Another great place to visit is the National Museum of Archae- ology which is housed in the former Auberge de Provence, the historic residence of the knights originating from the Provence region in France that dates back to 1571 and is a wonderful ex- ample of Baroque architecture. With its richly painted walls and wood-beamed ceiling, a visit to the Grand Salon is a must and the museum’s exceptional archaeology collection tells the story of Malta through a chronological presentation. Exhibits found here include prehistoric artefacts and architec- tural elements that were discovered at megalithic sites, as well as ancient Roman objects and medieval antiquities. You may be interested in the prehistoric collection that the museum is renowned for which consists of an extensive array of artefacts from the Maltese Islands’ megalithic temples such as 6,000 to 7,000-year-old pottery, ornaments, altars, limestone statuettes, terra cotta bowls, and cult utensils. And if you don’t visit Valletta for any other reason, make sure you visit the city for the Carnival which usually takes place in February or early March. It’s a time for everyone to let their hair down and go with the flow, with extravagantly decorated coloured floats, children running around in fancy costumes, and the celebration going on well into the early hours of the morning at clubs and bars. Whilst the heart of the action takes place in Valletta, other towns and villages across the island have their own version of festivities.