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Expert: Nigel McGilchrist Nigel McGilchrist

The Maltese Archipelago and Baroque Festival

Malta’s fascinating and complex history spans a staggering 7,000 years, with the first humans, most likely arriving from the shores of Sicily, settling around 5,200 B.C. It was these early settlers who were responsible for megalithic wonders such as the Ggantija temples, which, constructed before Stonehenge and the earliest Egyptian pyramids, are among the oldest free-standing structures on earth. Such marvels alone might be enough to recommend Malta as a fascinating destination for cultural study, but subsequent history has bestowed upon the country many further treasures besides. This is thanks in part to the location of the Maltese archipelago; positioned between the wrestling cultures of Africa, the Middle East and an emerging Europe, Malta has long been a strategic pawn in the struggle for domination in the Mediterranean. Consequently, the country has been shaped by waves of influential rule, from the Phoenicians and Romans to the Arabs and Normans. Perhaps most notable were the Knights of St John Hospitaller, who ruled over Malta from 1530 to 1798, leading the country through a new golden age and establishing the charming capital city of Valletta, today a World Heritage Site and our base for this tour. Under the rule of the Knights, luminaries such as Caravaggio were commissioned to embellish churches, palaces and auberges. More recently, Valletta’s status as European City of Culture in 2018 has seen a fresh injection of art, design and innovation, galvanising Malta’s status as a cultural paradise.

5 days from £2,295pp Departure Dates

Your Tour Includes

  • Scheduled return flights (Economy class) with Air Malta between London Heathrow and Luqa airports
  • Transfers and excursions in Malta by private coach
  • Four nights’ accommodation at the 5-star Hotel Phoenicia in Malta
  • 2 dinners and 3 lunches
  • Guided visits to the sites and monuments listed in the programme
  • Services of the tour lecturer and a tour manager
  • Detailed programme and Study Notes
  • All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
Experts
Nigel McGilchrist

Nigel McGilchrist

Having lived and worked in the Mediterranean area (Italy, Turkey & Greece), for forty years, Art Historian, Nigel McGilchrist has taught for several universities in the USA and in Italy and now lectures freelance. He has worked for the Italian Ministry of Arts on wall painting conservation and is the author of the 20-volume series, McGilchrist’s Greek Islands.

Itinerary

Overview

Fly from London Heathrow to Malta International. Transfer by private coach to our hotel at the grand entrance of Valletta, the fortified capital said to be ‘built by gentlemen for gentlemen’. Check in and meet for a canapé reception and introductory lecture on the history of Malta. Group dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Includes Dinner

Overview

A morning to explore the city on foot. Our walk will take in Renzo Piano’s 2014 Parliament Building, its pierced sand-coloured stone façade is an elegant and innovative rejection of the usual glassy trends of 21st century architecture, before continuing to the Upper Barakka gardens, with breath-taking views of the Grand Harbour and the fortifications built by the Knights of Malta. Pause to explore the Church of Our Lady of Victories, notable as the first church of Valetta, before walking on to St John’s Co-Cathedral, where a sumptuous interior, decorated with richly gilded arched columns and remarkable inlaid marble floors, holds two of Caravaggio’s masterpieces, ‘The Beheading of St. John the Baptist’ and ‘St. Jerome’. Continue to the 16th-century Grandmaster’s Palace to visit the State Rooms and Armory before some time to relax over a group lunch. In the afternoon our explorations continue. The Manoel Theatre, named after Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller, Fra António Manoel de Vilhena, who ordered its construction in 1731 is a magical visit, while the Archaeological Museum a wonderful collection of prehistoric Maltese artefacts. Return to the hotel via the Hastings Garden, offering views of Floriana and Sliema. Dinner tonight is independent.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Lunch

Included Highlights

Valletta

Overview

After breakfast we travel by coach to the nearby town of Attard, famous for its public gardens. The town’s Latin motto is Florigera rosis halo (‘I perfume the air with my blossoms’). The town is also home to the San Anton Palace, which serves as the official residence of the President of Malta. The palace gardens, our first destination, are particularly lovely, with cobbled paths, ancient trees, fountains, statuary and orange and lemon groves. Visit to the private family home Casa Bernard, which has recently been restored. It originally started life as a mediaeval watch-tower built on Roman foundations, and progressed to a double-fronted palazzo in the mid-16th Century, and was given some Baroque additions later. After some free time for an independent lunch we continue to Mdina, the important and beautiful old capital. We return to Valletta for a group meal in the evening.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Dinner

Included Highlights

San Anton Palace

Overview

All-day excursion by ferry to Gozo, the other inhabited island of the Maltese archipelago and home to the Ġgantija Neolithic temples. Excavated in 1826 and thought to be dedicated to a fertility deity, the complex is our first destination. Some believe that Gozo is in fact Ogygia, Calypso’s legendary island in Homer’s Odyssey. The Calypso’s Cave viewpoint takes its name from this idea and offers beautiful views across Ramla Bay. After a group lunch, our explorations of Gozo conclude with a visit to Victoria (originally Rabat), the capital city of Gozo, which is crowned by the fortified mediaeval Citadella. Return by ferry to the island of Malta and transfer to our hotel. Dinner tonight is independent.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Lunch

Included Highlights

Ggantija Neolithic temple

Overview

After breakfast some free time before we check out of our hotel and walk to Casa Rocca Piccola, a 16th-century palace and home of the noble Maltese de Piro family. Constructed as one of the first noble houses in the city, most of the building’s fifty rooms are open to the public (although our visit will be private) and contain fascinating collections of furniture, silver and paintings. Beneath the palace lies a network of tunnels and passages, which were used to shelter hundreds of people from enemy bombing during World War II. Travel by coach to Birgu for a short walking tour of the town and a final lunch together. Transfer to the airport for our return flight to London.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Lunch

Single Room Supplement from £220.00 (5 days).

Accommodation

You will stay for 4 nights at the 5-star Hotel Phoenicia in Valletta.