A Semitic language in Latin letters
Maltese grew out of the Arabic spoken in Sicily and on these islands in the Middle Ages, then soaked up Italian and English vocabulary over the centuries. It's the EU's only official Semitic language, and the only one in its family natively written in the Latin alphabet.
Three letters will save you confusion when asking directions:
- x sounds like sh: Marsaxlokk is “Marsa-shlok” and Xlendi is “Shlen-dee”.
- ġ is the English j, while j sounds like y.
- q is a soft catch in the throat, which is why Ħaġar Qim comes out close to “Hajar Eem”.
Red phone boxes and a cross you've probably misread
British rule ran from 1800 to 1964, and the leftovers are easy to spot: red phone boxes and post boxes still stand in plenty of town squares. The same era explains the emblem in the corner of the flag, the George Cross, named after the king rather than the saint. George VI awarded it to the entire population in 1942 for holding out under wartime bombing.
The eight-pointed cross of the Knights, the real Maltese cross, is a different thing: you'll see it on souvenirs and on the one- and two-euro coins.
A clock that lies and a bomb that stayed silent
Look up at churches with twin bell towers: many have a clock on each, and only one tells the time. The other is painted on. Legend says it's there to confuse the devil, so he never knows when Mass starts.
The story of the Mosta Rotunda is better documented. On 9 April 1942, with worshippers inside, a German bomb punched through the dome, hit the floor and failed to explode. Nobody died. A replica is on show in the church.
Bright balconies and boats with eyes
A gallarija is the enclosed wooden balcony hanging off the limestone facades, most famously in Valletta, painted green, red or blue. It lets you watch the street without being seen and keeps the sun out.
Luzzu are the traditional fishing boats, striped in yellow, blue and red, with a pair of eyes on the bow. The custom is usually credited to the Phoenicians, the eyes meant to protect the crew. You'll see them in Marsaxlokk harbour.
Stones older than the pyramids
Ġgantija, on Gozo, is more than 5,000 years old, which makes it older than the pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. The name comes from ġgant, giant: local legend said a giantess built it. The other temples feature in our short history of the islands.
A film set nobody took down
In 1979 a whole wooden village went up at Anchor Bay for the film Popeye, starring Robin Williams. After the shoot it simply stayed, and you can visit it today as Popeye Village.
Festas: the whole village on the street
Every parish honours its patron saint over several days of brass bands, a procession and fireworks, mostly between June and September. The pyrotechnics are made by the villagers themselves, in open rivalry with the town next door. Dates vary from place to place, so ask wherever you're staying. Once the square goes quiet, the night carries on with the parties on our calendar.
