Mdina

The National Museum of Fine Arts (South Street, Valletta, 2122 5769), housed in the baroque palazzo Admiralty House, showcasing paintings by the 17th-century Italian artist Mattia Preti, along with Italian and Maltese works from the 15th century on. In the same area is St John’s Co-Cathedral (St John’s Street, Valletta, 2122 5639), built in 1573. Caravaggio’s The Beginning of St John the Baptist can be found in the oratory.



To the west of Valletta is the Roman citadel of Mdina, the Maltese capital until 1566. Maltese nobility still live there, and some have opened cafés and restaurants in their homes. After extensive bombing during the Second World War, Valletta has been granted the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. For an insight into the considerable hardships the islanders suffered during the war, a visit to the War Museum in Fort St Elmo will reveal the George Cross awarded to the islanders for their courage, and the Jeep that General Eisenhower 1 used during Operation Husky - the invasion of Sicily. Valletta's crucial role in the war is reflected in the dungeons known as the Lascaris War, Rooms. Cut into rock beneath the Bakkara Gardens overlooking the Grand Harbour, it was the HQ for the Mediterranean Fleet and the nerve centre for Malta's defences.it is a fascinating insight into the claustrophobic atmosphere of an island under siege.