MALTA PORTS & CITIES

PLANETCRUISE > CRUISE DESTINATIONS > WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN > MALTA PORTS

Valletta

Cruise to Valletta 'A city built by gentlemen for gentlemen' – Malta

Strategically situated midway between Sicily and North Africa, a cruise to Malta will take you in every sense to a Mediterranean crossroads - a tiny island with an epic and heroic history in which invasion and siege have seen the influences of Romans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Crusaders and Britain - all leave an enduring mark upon its cultural heritage. Since 1974, Malta has been a small independent nation and Commonwealth member. The medieval capital of Valletta was established under the order of the Grand Master of Knights of St. John, named Jean de la Valette. Many of the medieval structures of the town remain, including the Palace of the Grand Masters, with its state apartments. Another of the 7 palaces built by the Knights houses the National Museum of Archaeology, displaying prehistoric items discovered on the island. Also of interest is St. John's Co-Cathedral, with separate chapels dedicated to different orders of the Knights. The National Museum of Fine Arts is housed in a 19th century palace, displaying furniture, paintings and other items from medieval times. The city with its Grand Harbour is a treasure-chest of baroque architecture, its narrow streets a honeycomb of colourful shops and stalls.