MALTA: DAY 2, PART 2 - MDINA AND RABAT, ST. JOSEPH'S DAY, RABAT'S BASILICA OF ST. PAUL, AND MORE

 March 19, 2024

Our next stop was Mdina, a walled city that at one time was the island's capital. It is next to Rabat. There is a city named Medina in Saudi Arabia and Rabat is the capital of Morocco, so that should give you a hint that at one time settlers of this area were Arabs.

These days, no cars are allowed in Mdina, and it has the nickname "The Silent City." 

You would think there would be little open space in a country that is only 17 miles long and 9 miles wide, but we actually traversed some beautiful green spaces where we could see animals grazing in the fields. After some "cross-country" driving, we soon had a a good view of the walls of Mdina (population 250) and the adjacent city of Rabat (population 11,000).

We stopped to admire the view of the two cities and the flower-blanketed hillsides leading up to them.

As we approached Mdina and Rabat, we could tell right away that there was a party going on, and we felt right at home as soon as we saw the "Mr. America Meals" food truck in the parking lot.

MALTA: DAY 2, PART 1 - WALKING AROUND VALLETTA, ST. PAUL'S SHIPWRECK CHURCH AND CHAPEL, AND MORE

 March 19, 2024

We began our second day in Malta with breakfast in our hotel. I love Eggs Benedict, and I would give these a 6 or 7 out of 10--better than most, but not great. 

Julia joined us in the hotel lobby and led us on a walking tour of Valletta, the capital city. Valletta is set on a hill, and the streets are positioned to maximize cool breezes from the Mediterranean Sea. What are those round things in the street on the right?

They are restaurant tables. and how do you set up tables on a hill? You make wedges to go under the downhill legs. Do they do this for the chairs too? I don't know.

MALTA: DAY 1, THE FORTIFICATIONS, MALTESE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND MORE

 March 18, 2024

We had an uneventful flight from Catania, Sicily, to Valletta, Malta, where we were met at the gate by our fabulous guide, Julia. She has a master's degree in history and a special interest in the Maltese Knights, but she knew a lot about everything and was pretty open in expressing her opinion, which we really liked.

I knew absolutely nothing about Malta before this trip other than that it is an island. I didn't know it was located in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Tunisia. I didn't know the official languages are English and Maltese. I've discovered that it covers just 122 square miles and is the tenth-smallest country in the world by area. Its capital, Valletta, is the smallest capital city in the European Union by both area (.24 square miles) and population (about 5,200).

We were ferried around town in a large van with a driver. It was a relief to have so much space after our cramped transportation on Sicily, and nice not to worry about navigating. We started off our late afternoon and evening tour by walking along the 16th-century fortifications on one end of the island in the capital city of Valletta. They were added to over the next three centuries, but most of the original structures remain intact. As you might guess, they (along with the capital city of Valletta, which they protect) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I believe these next few photos are taken from across the harbor, looking at Valletta.

As you can see on the map below, Valletta is located on a rather small peninsula between two harbors, which I imagine leaves it vulnerable to attack:

Map from here

SICILY: CEFALU CATHEDRAL AND BACK TO THE AIRPORT

 March 18, 2024

Our last stop in Sicily was Cefalù, a coastal city about an hour and a half from Palermo. It has a population of about 14,000 and is a major tourist destination.

We were VERY lucky to find a parking lot with an open spot within walking distance of the old (aka touristy) part of town, and it only cost 1€! We came out of the parking lot by this building that I think was a school.  I love the murals and the words Vola Con Me (Fly with me).

As we walked into town, we passed this monument honoring the locals who perished in World War I.

The narrow, shop-lined street reminds me of Taormina, which we had visited two days prior.

SICILY: MONREALE AND PALERMO CATHEDRALS

March 17, 2024

We lucked out in finding a parking space just a few blocks from the Monreale Cathedral, which was about a 30-minute drive from Palermo proper but still part of the metropolitan area.

I love how the neighborhoods are built up around these gems of churches in Europe, as if the church is just part of the neighborhood.

Hey, there's another one of the famous Sicilian pine cones, this one over a foot tall and a decoration at an outdoor cafe.

The Cathedral was built between 1174 and 1182 as the result of a sleepy king. William II of Sicily had fallen asleep under a carob tree near here, and in a dream the Holy Virgin told him to build a church on that spot. When the carob tree was removed so the church could be built, a cache of gold coins was found among the roots and used to finance the church. What a great story!

The official name of this church is the Chapel of San Castrense di Monreale. Saint Castrense is the patron saint of Monreale. William II was given his relic as a wedding gift, and he laid it under the high altar of the cathedral.

Like the Palatine Chapel we had just visited, the church is an amalgamation of Norman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.  It is an earlier, larger, and somewhat lesser version of the Palatine Chapel, which was based on the design of this church. Like the Palatine Chapel, this cathedral is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

SICILY: PALERMO'S ROYAL PALACE AND PALATINE CHAPEL

 March 17, 2024

We set off for Palermo around 9:00 AM in our very cramped VW Golf. 

It was supposed to be a 2.5 hour drive, but we put the wrong destination in our phone's maps app, and we ended up off track. We lost about 40 minutes, but we still made it on time to our first destination of the day, the Royal Palace of Palermo, where we had timed-entry tickets to the Palatine Chapel.

The Palatine Chapel is inside the Royal Palace (aka Norman Palace of Palermo), which was the home of the Sicilian kings and/or seat of the government until 1946. Since then it has been the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. It is the oldest royal residence in all of Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace dates back to the 9th century, although it had a major makeover in the 12th century. The oldest part of the current structure is on the right end, below.

Roger II of Sicily, also known as Roger the Norman, was the first king of Sicily from 1130 until 1154 and is considered the founder of the Kingdom of Sicily, unifying the Norman conquests in southern Italy, Sicily, and Malta under his rule. He was known for practicing tolerance for the variety of ethnicities and cultures that lived in his realm. An interesting fact about Roger II: He married three times and had nine legitimate children and at least five known illegitimate children.

One of his longest-lasting accomplishments was the building of a spectacular chapel inside the above palace. It was the primary reason we were hurrying to Palermo. 

The Palatine Chapel (or Cappella Palatina in Italian) is perhaps the most beautiful single room I have entered anywhere in the world. Commissioned by Roger II in 1132, it took eight years to build and is a unique blend of Norman, Byzantine, classical, and Arab architecture. 

The door to the inside of the chapel is rather inconspicuous compared to the ornate colonnade that surrounds the inner courtyard of the palace. 

The wooden beams of the ceiling, brick arches, and Corinthian columns are beautiful, but what really distinguishes the entrance and the interior are the mosaics.