Tour The Island of the Knights

5 days

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1st Day: - Malta
Arrival to Malta and accommodation in hotel, free time to set with the heat of the isle which has an extention of 315.6 km² , making it one of the smallest states and densely populated in the world. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

2nd Day: - Valletta Breakfast in a hotel and departure to a guided excursion long the streets frequented with tourists and residents of the smallest capital in entire Europe (less than 1km²), where we are going to be fascinated by the fortress, founded by the Knights in 1566 who named it by their grand maestro Jean Parisot de la Valette. The order of the Knights of Saint Giivanni (one religious knights’ order rectory depended from the Saint Seat, with helpful finalities) has dominated the islands of the Maltese archipelago for about 268 years leaving a unique cultural Testimony and Valletta (in Maltese known like Il Belt Valletta) is the first example. The amazing landscape of the Porto Grande (il-Port il-Kbir), natural port and used from Phoenician time, from gardens of the Upper Barracca. The visit proceeds with the Cathedral of Saint Giovanni Battista, from the marble floor of rare beauty. It guards 2 masterpieces of Caravaggio: the “Decollazione di San Giovanni Battista” (oil painting on canvas 361x520 cm) and “San Girolamo scrivente”  (oil painting on canvas 117x157 cm) both from 1608 year.

Curiosity: the genius Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi of Caravaggio, named “the Caravaggio”, founded a shelter in Malta in the 1607 after the escape from Rome followed after the assassinate of a man, maybe his love rival. The visit continues along the Via della Repubblica, the Palace of the Gran Maestro, today a residence of the President od the Country and Seat of the Parliament of Malta, the Saint Giorgio square. Dinner and overnight. We recommend a walk to: Is-Suq tal-Belt(“city of the market” or “the market of Valletta”), the historic covered market.

3rdDay: - Mdina – Rabat – Dingli – Attard – Mosta
Breakfast in a hotel and depart to Mdina, the silent city, the antique capital of the island. The medieval walkvays, thin and curvy, lead us to the majestic bastions and to the splendid panoramic view of the isle. One precious trunk of 4000 years of history of different architectonical styles, with some siculo-normanns edifices and others of baroque style on 190m ASL. Bordered with the antique village M’dina, we get to Rabat, religious centre and antique residence of the noble Maltese families. Here we can find the catacombs of Saint Paolo place where, according to the legend, the saint took refuge after a shipwreck in 60 AC. We proceed to the cliffs Dingli, on 250m ASL, one of the highest and most scenic spots of the isle.

Curiosity: near to the cliffs of Dinglic it is the archeolocical side of MisrahGhar il-Kbir, famous and mysterious at the same time, net od scaves in the rocks that reminds the rails of the modern railway. Still today the motive for that work is unknown. After lunch a visit to the most famous public park in Malta: the botanical gardens of Saint Anton in the presidential palace of Attard. Time at disposal for the village of the handcraft (craftsvillage) at Ta’Qali. Continuation to Mosta to see the church Rotunda with the third biggest cupola of Europe. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

4th Day: - the isle of Gozo
Breakfast in hotel and departure to the isle of Gozo. After a crossing of around 20 minutes we get to the Mgarr port. Visit of the pre-historical temples of Ggantija, it seems they are the world’s most antique monuments which precede the pyramids in Egypt and the Stonehenge site. The day contimues with a walk at the medieval city in Victoria (Rabat). Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

Curiosity: from antique times the land of the isle of Gozo was terraced to avoid the wind to erode the land. Also to protect the cultivation from the wind and from the air from the salt water there were planted many Indian figs.

5th Day: - Return
Breakfast in hotel and departure to Italy.