Mdina

During Roman times and earlier, the principal city of Malta was not Valletta. Valletta claimed that title later with the arrival of the Knights of St. John. No, the original capital of Malta was actually Mdina, also called during different periods Melita and Medina. Mdina is a fortified hilltop city. It seems the Maltese were partial to building on top of hills to take advantage of the natural protection they provided, much like the hill towns of the area where we live in Italy. The current population of Mdina is approximately 300 although another 11,000 live in the contiguous town of Rabat outside of the fortifications.

The city is all about defense. As you approach the non-cliff side from Rabat and the Domvs Romana you encounter a deep, wide dry moat that is currently occupied by a citrus grove. Restoration of the moat is underway, presumably in anticipation of the celebration of the European Cultural Capital in 2018.

The inner city is accessed by a bridge which spans the moat, leading to an ornately decorated opening. Once inside you encounter a maze of narrow, winding streets. The intention was having no single length longer than one could shoot an arrow.

The narrow width of the streets makes it difficult to appreciate the baroque architecture until you reach the main square of the city where St. Paul’s Cathedral is located.

St. Paul is an important figure in Malta as he was shipwrecked there on his way to Rome by a ferocious storm and then spent time preaching to and converting the locals he found there. He must have done a good job laying the foundations of faith, as Malta is 98% Catholic with a much higher proportion observant than here in Italy.

The cathedral is quite nice inside with the entire floor made of inlaid marble memorials covering the floor. I enjoyed this one of the Grim Reaper.