|
Excerpt: Mdina & Rabat Chapter
Below is an entire chapter - one of the shortest chapters - excerpted from my guidebook titled Malta & Gozo Directions
With everything from Malta’s oldest and best-preserved town to comparatively lush valleys and the rugged heights of the coast, as well as Malta’s best sandy beaches, this region has a distinct feel and allure. It should be a major draw on any itinerary, starting with Mdina, the aristocratic old capital rung by early medieval fortifications. Rabat, the adjoining town and once a Mdina suburb, has an eclectic mix of underground historical sights from the same period, and to the west Malta’s largest woodland is the most verdant of several valleys dissecting Malta’s highest plateau. The highlands continue to Il-Kuncizzjoni before tumbling down to Fomm Ir-Rih, a wildly beautiful bay. Further east, beyond Mgarr, Malta’s top trio of sandy beaches are cut in dramatic gulfs of clay slopes crowned by cliffs.
Visiting Mdina & Rabat
Mdina and Rabat are reached on buses #80 from Valletta, #65 from Sliema, and #86 from Buġibba. Bus #81 from Valletta passes Mdina and Rabat and continues to Il-Buskett and Dingli Cliffs. There are two car parks between Mdina and Rabat.
Mdina
Built on a ridge and ringed by fortifications, aristocratic Mdina is one of Malta’s major highlights. Established by the Phoenicians, this tiny, winningly attractive walled town was Malta’s first urban settlement, and served as the island’s capital until Valletta took over in 1571. It’s easy to detect Mdina’s medieval history beneath its Baroque makeover (courtesy of the Knights who instituted a makeover in 1722), and its maze of narrow, twisting alleys have kept modernity at bay. Virtually car-free and with just four hundred inhabitants, it falls deathly quiet by night – when it’s at its most evocative for a walk, your footsteps echoing down the alleys – while during the day it’s a regular haunt for the tour groups. But whatever the time, a wander through Mdina to soak up the atmosphere is highly rewarding.
The Main Gate and Pjazza San Publiju
Mdina. The primary Baroque gate through Mdina’s fortifications was built by the Knights in 1724 as part of a restoration programme overseen by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, whose coat of arms (a lion and a sword, symbolising his eminence as an outstanding naval warrior) sit at the top of the gate; the internal facade is crowned by statues of Mdina’s patron saints Paul, Publius and Agatha. As part of the restoration, de Vilhena shifted the gate east (you can still see the outline of its predecessor to one side) so that it would lead directly to the planned Magisterial Palace and open onto Pjazza San Publiju.
Magisterial Palace
Pjazza San Publiju, Mdina. The fourth and last of the Grand Masters’ palaces built in Malta, in 1724, the Magisterial Palace was designed by the French architect Charles François de Medion. The palace is set on two floors around a central courtyard; Grand Master de Vilhena spent the summers here, away from public life in Valletta, and his bust and coat of arms are mounted above the main door of another courtyard to the front of the building. The palace’s interior was first pared down when it was converted into a hospital under British rule, and its splendour was further ruined in 1973 when it was reopened as the Museum of Natural History (daily 9am–5pm; €2.33; 21/455951, www.heritagemalta.org), a worn-out display of bits and pieces that is hardly worth the effort. You can get a look at the palace’s facade, which survives intact, from the first courtyard.
Mdina Dungeons
Pjazza San Publiju, Mdina 21/450267. Daily 9.30am–4.30pm. €4. The former prisons underneath the Magisterial Palace serve as a suitable home for this gruesome if mildly-diverting museum, which aims to re-create various acts of torture that occurred in Malta over the ages. The graphic life-sized tableaux depicting different torture methods under Malta’s various rulers (St Agatha’s breasts being hacked off by the Romans and the like), are given extra gravity by the fact that many of the acts took place in the rooms now occupied by the reconstructions.
St Paul’s Cathedral
Pjazza San Pawl. Mon–Fri 9.30am–4.30pm, Sat 9.30am–3.30pm; €2.50 for the Cathedral and museum. Sundays open for mass in the morning and late afternoon, when it is free to enter. The principal focus of a visit to Mdina, St Paul’s Cathedral is the finest ecclesiastical building in Malta – a majestic, beautifully proportioned architectural set-piece that dominates the skyline for miles around. Dedicated to Malta’s most venerated saint, it was built to replace an earlier cathedral which collapsed in the earthquake of 1693. The ecclesiastical authorities saw this as an ideal opportunity to build something far grander, demolishing the surrounding houses to create an open square, and commissioning the best-known Maltese architect of the time, Lorenzo Gafa, to design it. It’s acknowledged as Gafa’s masterpiece, although he never saw it finished, dying before it was inaugurated in 1702. Unlike his peers, Gafa shunned the ornateness of Baroque in favour of composition and setting, and here he created a grand presence by designing a facade with square proportions, the width equal to the height, a stylistic technique that is unusual in churches. This is topped by an elegant octagonal dome, decorated with handsome stone scrolls and framed by squat bell towers; both dome and bell towers seem, in their sudden blast of voluptuousness, like separate appendages, another stylistic technique associated with Gafa’s works.
The interior also employs skilful spatial amplification, appearing higher and more cavernous than is suggested from the outside. However, in contrast to St John’s Co-Cathedral’s aggrandisement of Knightly vanity, Mdina’s cathedral pays homage to clerical ascetic steadfastness, with just five bronze busts, attached to the piers dividing the nave, commemorating notable Maltese bishops. The 134 variegated marble tombstones that patchwork the floor of the nave mark the graves of other venerated clerics, while overhead, the three ceiling frescoes depicting a preaching St Paul are appropriately simple and solemn. The nave’s six side chapels are also modest affairs, as are the paintings on the inside of the dome. More dramatic are the two large and atmospheric paintings by Mattia Preti in the chancel: the Conversion of St Paul serves as the altarpiece, while the Shipwreck of St Paul decorates the apse above. The two chapels flanking the altar hold more rich embellishments, mostly the work of Maltese artist Francesco Zahra (1710–73). The various lunettes and cupola paintings are Zahra’s masterworks, a powerful set grouped under the themes of the Triumph of the Eucharist and Triumph of the Cross.
Cathedral Museum
Pjazza Ta’ L-Arcisqof 21/454697. Same ticket and hours as Cathedral. Across the road, the Cathedral Museum is a repository for the Cathedral’s moveable arts accumulated over the centuries. Housed in the former Diocesan Seminary, a two-storey Baroque pile built in 1733–40, the Cathedral Museum’s artworks and historical relics constitute a valuable and memorable collection, and the largest private museum in Malta. The richest pickings are on the upper floor, where Catholic art dominates; in the first hall, Fra Salvatore di Bisignano’s embossed Choral Books from 1576, which open to the size of a coffee table, are especially worth seeking out. In the adjoining oval chapel, built in situ during the Seminary’s construction, the Annunciation altarpiece by French artist Antoine de Favray is technically good but emotionally mute; more absorbing are the twelfth-century Romanesque chalice and intricately enamelled Byzantine altar stone displayed in a recessed cabinet. Another highlight is the fantastic and intricate series of 53 woodcuts and copperplates by Albrecht Dürer, yet the most outstanding exhibit is in the adjacent hall, where a chessboard marble floor creates a soothing tableaux of perspective for the Polyptych of St Paul by Luis Borrassa, a large and well-crafted fifteenth-century piece that’s stirring in its sombrely medieval mood and symbolism.
Mdina Walking Tour
The individual sights detailed in the guide should form the focus of a walk around Mdina to take in its handsome palaces – once the homes of Malta's nobility – and the town's well-preserved medieval ambience. Just past the main gate, Triq Villegaignon is the town's main road, cutting across the town and featuring the largest palaces. It opens into Pjazza San Pawl, and just beyond the square, Mdina's oldest building, Palazzo Santo Sofia, is recognisable from the street-tunnel that cuts through its ground floor. The ground floor of the two-storey house itself dates from 1233, while its upper floor is a fine example of Siculo-Norman architecture, a hybrid of Norman and Sicilian styles found only in Malta. The highlight of the Siculo-Norman style are the ornate mullioned windows – double-arched windows divided by a column and framed by pronounced pitched arches which are in turn fringed by carvings of either leafy motifs or raised design of zigzag masonry. Triq Villegaignon eventually ends at Pjazza Tas-Sur, a pleasant clearing set behind the ramparts of the fortifications. The square is backed by characterful houses and fronted by ficus trees which offer pools of shade from which to take in the view from what is one of Malta's highest points: just beyond the walls terraced fields step down to the central agricultural plains, and on to the urban conurbation of the northeast coast, a sweep stretching from the Three Cities to Bugibba.
West of Pjazza Tas-Sur, Triq L-Imhazen cuts south, and between it and the parallel Triq Villegaignon there is a maze of meandering alleyways that hold more ancient buildings, some of which sport the characteristic mullioned windows of the Siculo-Norman style. Many of these buildings also have absorbing coats of arms and elaborate bronze door-knockers that are moulded into various motifs. At its end, Triq L-Imhazen leads to Triq San Nikola, which itself leads out of the walls via the town's second gate, the simple Greeks’ Gate – named after the Greek community that lived in this part of town in the Medieval Ages.
Palazzo Falson
Triq Villegaignon, Mdina. 21/454512, www.palazzofalson.com. Tues–Sun 10am–5pm. €10.
Originally built in the thirteenth century in Siculo-Norman style, Palazzo Falson was tinkered with throughout the centuries, and the first floor and its mullioned windows were added in the sixteenth century. Now it’s a fascinating museum that serves as a double attraction: the ground floor, dating from the original construction, showcases some of the interior features of Siculo-Norman architecture while the exhibits spread thickly throughout the building constitute a priceless array of historical art. The art was amassed by Olof Gollcher, who bought the house in 1927 and spent his vast wealth, inherited from a family who owned a shipping line, on filling his house with art and historical objects, many of them scavenged during his travels. Now Gollcher’s bounty fills every space of the first floor, where the living quarters have been re-created, shedding light on a character who was both exuberant and bohemian – the dining room, for example, is decked out with silver tableware, yet the bedroom next door is relatively restrained with its quaint poster bed and trim cupboards.
Moving through the first floor you’ll pass cases full of models of galleys, including some made from silver, as well as jewellery (including lots of Maltese crosses) and an array of watches (note the ten-hour dial watch that was made during the French Revolution and may be one of the few that still exist). More notable are the paintings in the living room; highlights include Mattia Preti’s Lucretia Stabbing Herself, Edward Lear’s take on the idyllic and tranquil coastal landscapes in Malta, and the excellent four-piece study of different seasons by Nicholas Poussin (each feature a haunted-looking small boy doing something symbolising the season). An audio-guide included with the entry ticket helps explain the displays.
The ground floor, meanwhile, survives in its original simplicity, set on bare-stone walls and stone tiles with interior arches creating a medieval atmosphere that is most vivid in the kitchen with its brass pots, large metal oven and beautifully tiled fireplace.
The Roman Domus
Il-Wesgħa Tal-Mużew, Mdina. 21/454125, www.heritagemalta.org. Daily 9am–5pm. €4.66. A repository for most of Malta’s diminutive collection of Roman relics, the Roman Domus museum is built around the remains of its star attraction, a Roman villa that was unearthed in 1881. It was built in around 50 AD, and is one of 25 Roman villas around Malta that are thought to have served as the homesteads of large agricultural estates, probably producing olive oil. The location of this building, on the outskirts of Mdina (then Malta’s only town), as well as the statues discovered within of Emperor Claudius and his mother Antonia, suggest that it belonged to a senior Roman figure. Now only the peristyle, with a splendid mosaic floor, survives from the original house. There are also other fragments of mosaic in the museum, the most striking of which is a rather disturbing depiction of an open-mouthed woman seemingly gripped with fear. But the rest of the museum’s collection is pedestrian: Roman amphorae, an olive press and fragments of columns and bits of statuary, all interpreted by informative panels.
Rabat
Until Arab rule (870-1090AD) the walls of Mdina stretched as far as today’s Rabat square. Then the Arabs rebuilt the fortifications on a smaller scale for better defensibility, and this in effect created a new suburb – “rabat” means suburb in Arabic – which eventually grew into a distinct town. Now Rabat’s main sights – the catacombs - date back to the time when it was meshed with Mdina, as at the time the early-Christians buried their death in catacombs outside the city walls. Yet Rabat is now also a distinct, proud town whose inhabitants speak a separate dialect, and many of them remain farmers working fields in the productive valleys outside the town. These countless valleys, reached via narrow country roads, offer rural serenity and quaint scenery in the form of old hamlets and farmhouses, and, if you’re driving, they are good places to get lost on a sunny day.
St Paul’s Church and grotto
Misraħ Il-Paroċċa, Rabat. Mon–Sat 9am–5pm. Free. Five minutes’ walk south of Mdina along Triq San Pawl brings you to Rabat’s town square, which is dominated by St Paul’s Church. A church is known to have existed on this site by 1372, though the present Baroque building, which dates from 1653, was designed by Francesco Bounamici, who introduced Baroque architecture to Malta. It has an unusually wide, squat facade that tapers to an elegant peak in wavy curvaceous scrolls, while the simple dome, rebuilt in the nineteenth century, and bell-towers are set well back from the street. For a church with such a lengthy history, the interior is surprisingly bare and bland – the only noteworthy features are the three seventeenth-century altarpieces: from bottom to top, a somewhat clichéd depiction of St Paul’s shipwreck by Stefano Erardi, a calculated, reserved St Publius by Mattia Preti and an abstract Eucharist by Francesco Zahra. Below the church is the cave where St Paul is said to have been interned during his three-month stint in Malta in 60 AD while awaiting his transfer to Rome to stand trial. It’s a small, dampish and disappointingly dull grotto, yet the association with St Paul made it a pilgrimage site during the Knights’ time. Now more popular with tour groups than with pilgrims, there are a few pieces of decoration to admire, including Melchiorre Gafa’s 1667 statue of St Paul.
St Paul’s Catacombs
Triq Sant Agatha, Rabat. 21/454562, www.heritagemalta.org. Daily 9am–5pm. €4.66. A claustrophobic and dark maze of early Christian burial chambers dug in the fourth and fifth centuries, St Paul’s Catacombs offer an absorbing insight into early burial methods. Set on a number of different terraced levels, the 1000-odd sarcophagi occupy every conceivable space. Just through the entrance, the complex starts with a primitive chapel of a stone-cut altar and two circular tables with benches, where the congregation gathered to pray, mourn and feast during ritual burials. From here, there’s no straightforward way to tour the labyrinthine passageways – all of them end in a blank rock wall – so the best approach is simply to wander around, constantly doubling back on yourself. Now that the lids of the sarcophagi have been removed, it’s possible to distinguish the different types of tomb – loculi are small rectangular recesses cut into the walls, generally used for infants and children; arcosolium tombs are dug directly into the ground; while canopied table tombs consist of a series of graves alongside each other about a metre above the floor, on shelves framed by arches.
St Agatha’s Catacombs
Sqaq Sant’ Agatha, Rabat. 21/454419. Mon–Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat 9am–12.30pm. €2.50. St Agatha’s was in use from the Byzantine era (400 AD) through to the seventeenth century. It’s a large complex– with two hundred graves for adults and three hundred for children, as well as a crypt where St Agatha hid in 249 AD after she fled Roman persecution in Catania – and a tour of the section that is open to the public starts at the crypt’s two adjoining chapels. The smaller one is dedicated to the Madonna, while the larger chapel, with a freestanding altar, has several colourful ancient frescoes: the earliest three, nearest the door, are Byzantine representations of the Madonna, St Agatha and St Paul, while the others, Gothic in style and dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, depict St Agatha in various poses. From the crypt, the catacombs stretch deep into the rock in progressive sections, starting from the earliest section, a pagan burial chamber complete with the almost intact original skeletons in open sarcophagi, and leading to a sixth-century Christian burial section hollowed around a small, oval chapel with a primitive altar and a fresco altarpiece rich with symbolism – the shell represents heaven, the pigeons the soul, and the tree life.
Dominican Monastery
Triq Ġorġ Borg Olivier, Rabat. Daily dawn–dusk. Free. Malta’s order of Dominican monks arrived here from Sicily in 1450, and built their convent over a cave dedicated to Our Lady of the Grotto, which had become a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages after a hunter claimed he had an apparition of the Madonna inside it. The original convent building was renovated and expanded and a larger church added in 1683. The public are allowed access to the courtyard and cloister, and the convent church (the monks – now numbering only twenty – occupy living quarters on the upper floor). The elegant cloister features a ribbed barrel-vaulted ceiling, while balustrades and loggias overlook the courtyard garden, with its groves of orange trees criss-crossed by pathways. Entrance to the church is through a doorway in the cloister. Dedicated to Our Lady of the Grotto, its interior is simple and bathed in light; near the front door a staircase leads down to the original grotto, now a separate chapel where elder townsfolk gather in the afternoons to say the rosary.
Clapham Junction cart ruts
Named by British archeologists after the similarly intricate web of railway lines at Clapham Junction station in London, this jumble of parallel grooves cut into the rocky plateau west of Il-Buskett comprises the densest network of such ruts in Malta (similar channels are found all over the Mediterranean, but are most numerous in Malta). The cart ruts pose an archeological puzzle, since no satisfactory explanation exists as to their origin. The most accepted – although hazy – hypothesis is that they were made by wheeled carts during the Bronze Age (2000–1400 AD), but the problem with this theory is that the ruts have no apparent destination or pattern: some of them peter out, while others disappear into the sea or halt at cliff-edges – even the tiny islet of Filfla (see p.65) off Malta’s south coast is webbed by cart ruts. The mystery is deepened by the fact that in some places, such as Clapham Junction, multiple sets of ruts cross over one another. The debate on the possible date and origin of the cart ruts continues, with explanations ranging from the simple (that they were water channels, for example) to the bizarre (that they were made by aliens).
ll-Buskett and Verdala Palace
Triq Il-Buskett, Il Buskett. Bus #81 from Valletta and Rabat. Il-Buskett – Malta’s only mature, self-generating woodland – makes a great spot for a picnic and a stroll. Created by the Knights in the seventeenth century, it served as the private hunting grounds around Verdala Palace, which was commissioned in 1586 by Grand Master Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle as a country retreat. These days, the palace is the Maltese president’s summer residence, and closed to visitors, but you can get a glimpse of its turreted exterior rising above the grove of aleppo pines that surround it. The Il-Buskett woodlands are open to visitors, though, and are reached via a snaking road immediately west of the palace. This ends at a car park, from where paths branch in different directions, including one that winds down the valley into the dense web of aleppo pines, Mediterranean oaks, olives and carobs. Overhung by gnarled, hollowed tree-trunks, the path follows the meanderings of a small stream in the wet winter season, and you might see the passerine songbirds which come here to drink. In September, flocks of migrating birds of prey roost in the trees and make good birdwatching (see p.110)
Il-Kuncizzjoni coastal walk
The rugged and wild coastal landscape west of Rabat offers some wonderfully scenic walking, though you’ll need your own transport to get here. A short and easy walk begins at Il-Kunċizzjoni (signposted from Rabat), a tiny farmer’s hamlet established in 1731. The main approach road into the village passes a small chapel, then peters out after 500m at a small clearing where you can park. From here, a path leads inland, at a slight incline, for 200m to a rocky bluff that marks the tail-end of the Great Fault. This geological fault divides Malta along its centre, and the British built the Victoria Lines defensive wall along it in the 1870s. The wall peters out here at the bluff, which is backed by crumbling defensive underground positions. This is one of Malta's highest spots, offering lonesome views of the broken coastline and undulating ridges of northwestern Malta, and all the way to Gozo, with the dramatic Ta Ċenċ cliffs on the horizon. An opening in the wall leads down the hill past fields for about 1km, when it reaches the cliff that girdles the large dramatic bay below, Fomm Ir-Rih. You can double back here, or follow the steep path down the slope to the bay.
Fomm Ir-Rih Bay
No public transport. One of Malta’s wildest and most beautiful spots, hemmed in by cliffs and clay slopes eroded into dramatic gullies, the pebbly beach at Fomm Ir-Rih is a good spot for snorkelling on calm days (take care to avoid the potentially ankle-twisting rocks in the shallows, though). When the wind is blowing from the north or northwest, however, the bay seems true to its name, which means “the mouth of the wind” – the usually clear, azure water becomes metallic and opaque, and crashing waves make swimming unthinkable. To get to Fomm Ir-Rih from Il-Kuncizzjoni or Rabat, follow the signposts to the small modern town of Bahrija. Drive straight through along the town’s main road, take the first right; some 2km further, after the road starts meandering downhill, take another right which ends in a small car park. From here a footpath, which runs precariously along a ledge at the start, descends to the pebbly shore – it’s around ten minutes’ walk from the car park.
Gnejna Bay
No public transport. Beyond the town of Mgarr, a small uninteresting town founded in the nineteenth century, the road continues to Gnejna Bay, a large scenic bay nestled in a trough at the mouth of a valley. The small swathe of orange-coloured sand backed by clear and calm water is popular with families in summer. The bay itself is enclosed by dramatic clay slopes crowned by craggy amber cliffs and, on the highest vantage point, one of the Knights’ seventeenth-century coastal defence towers. Canoes and other watersports equipment are available to rent, and a kiosk sells refreshments and snacks all year round. The road to Gnejna Bay from Mgarr is well signposted, and there’s a car park backing on to the sand.
Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Bay
Bus #347 from Valletta and #652 from Sliema and Bugibba. North of Gnejna Bay, and accessed by a separate road from Mgarr or from St Paul’s Bay, are Malta’s most scenic sandy beaches. Divided by a gently rounded peninsula, the gorgeous stretches of sand, easy access, and stunning natural beauty make these twin beaches two of Malta’s most popular. Both have outlets offering watersports, sun loungers and umbrellas, as well as snack bars.
The southerly of the two, Ghajn Tuffieha, is the more dramatic, with the typical clay slopes and cliffs of the coastal landscape hereabouts. A flight of stairs from the car park on top of the cliff leads to the narrow crescent-shaped sandy shore, lapped by water that takes on the warm auburn colour of the seabed. It’s a popular haunt of image-conscious twenty-something Maltese, making it a whirl of designer swimsuits and flashy sunglasses.
Golden Bay is partly spoiled by a multi-storey hotel that dominates the bay from its cliff-top perch and, nearer the sand, the road and car park that reach down to the beach. This easier access means it gets more crowded than Ghajn Tuffieha in summer, attracting a mix of young Maltese and tourists.
Hotels
Buskett Aparthotel
Il-Buskett, Rabat. 21/454266, 21/455949. A good budget base in a rural location near Il-Buskett, though you’ll need your own transport to get there. The three basic double rooms have fans and shared bathrooms, while the thirteen spacious but stark one- to three- bedroom apartments have full kitchens. Doubles €28, one-bedroom apartments €35.
Xara Palace
Misraħ Il-Kunsill Ċitta Notabile, Mdina. 21/450560, www.xarapalace.com.mt. Set in a beautifully restored eighteenth-century palace, this atmospheric, intimate and impossibly romantic hotel is possibly Malta’s best. It’s decorated throughout with antique furniture and portraits, while rooms have the full range of modern facilities and Jacuzzis; those at the back have excellent views of northern Malta. Doubles from €235.
Guesthouses
Point de Vue
5 Pjazza Saqqaja, Rabat 21/454117. A recent upgrade has seen this small place rise up the stakes in value for money. The charming exterior of old townhouse, set outside Mdina in a square, has twelve large rooms – clean, spartan and bright, with attached toilets and showers, and aircon – which come in singles, twins, doubles, and triples. Doubles €56, breakfast included.
Cafés
Crystal Palace
90 Triq San Pawl, Rabat. 21/453323. Daily 4am–8pm. An old-style pastizzi joint, cluttered with Formica tables, offering some of Malta’s best pastizzi – puff-pastry pockets stuffed with mashed peas or ricotta – as well as hot drinks and alcohol. Although cheap and filling and delicious, pastizzi are made with a lard-heavy dough – more than a few will trigger heartburn.
Fontanella Tea Gardens
1 Pjazza Tas-Sur, Mdina. 21/450208. Daily 10am–midnight. With tables spread out over the parapet of the Mdina fortifications with dreamy views over Malta, this is a great place for a daytime coffee and cake. With the fortifications majestically lit and lights twinkling into the distance, it’s even better at night when it morphs into a wine bar and serves wine, other drinks and platters of finger-food.
Il Gattopardo
20 Triq Villegaigon, Mdina. 21/451213. Mon–Sat 11.30am–3pm & 8–10.30pm. A memorable café in a great setting in the beautiful courtyards and rooms of an old townhouse, decorated with tasteful art pieces and home to rotating art exhibitions. The menu centres on light, delicious, and inexpensive one-plate exotic dishes such as the Greek timpanaki, Indian dahl, and Lebanese vine leaves stuffed with rice and pine nuts.
Restaurants
Bacchus
Triq Inguanez, Mdina 21/454981. Daily noon–3pm & 6–11pm. Set in an atmospheric fifteenth-century ammunition store built by the Knights, with tables in the leafy garden during summer, the location is naturally romantic, and the menu, which changes seasonally, is full of hearty French dishes (around €15) such as pork tenderloin with artichokes, curried mussel and vegetable soup, or baked sea-bass with a salt crust.
Medina
Triq Is-Salib Imqaddes, Mdina. 21/454004, Mon–Sat 7–10.30pm. Sublimely set in a restored townhouse, with tables spilling into a courtyard canopied by climbing vines. The menu, which changes regularly, is full of creative French dishes such as Wonton duck served on a bed of spicy lentils and a sauce made of cream, peaches and raisins. About €16 for main courses.
SB Grotto Tavern
Misraħ Il-Paroċċa, Rabat 21/455138. June–Sept Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & Tues–Sat 7–10.30pm; Oct–May Tues–Sun noon–2.30pm & 7–10pm. A large restaurant set in a cellar, with three themed rooms, offering creative French dishes (around €15) ranging from chicken breast stuffed with prawn mousse to snails baked in butter and garlic, and the best Swiss fondue in Malta, for €15.50 per person. The complex also has a cave decked out as a wine bar, serving wine and accompanying antipasti in a characterful and comfortable setting.
Trattoria AD 1565
Misraħ Il-Kunsill Ċitta Notabile, Mdina. 21/450560, Daily 11am–10.30pm. A bustling place set in a barrel-vaulted chamber and outdoors in the atmospheric square, the trattoria of the Xara Palace hotel serves a large range of inexpensive Italian and French dishes and snacks. This includes good pizzas and an array of pasta dishes and main courses – ranging from classic dishes to more creative concoctions, all competently cooked.
(C) Victor Paul Borg/Rough Guides Ltd 
|
