Mdina, Malta
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| Fontanella Tea Garden, Mdina, Malta |
We arrive in Mdina just in time for lunch. We've been told that everyone who visits Mdina needs to visit Fontanella and when we arrive, it looks like everyone got the memo, this place jammed! It's also pretty big, so we're seated quickly, upstairs where there is a fantastic view of the island.
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| Fontanella's menu, Mdina, Malta |
Fontanella is famous for their cakes, they even deliver! But, we're here for the Pastizzi. Pastizzi is phyllo dough, stuffed with peas or ricotta and baked. There's also versions stuffed with fruit, meat or fish. They're incredibly popular in Malta because they're cheap, tasty, portable and available everywhere!
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| Statue of Saint Anthony and his pig, Rabat, Malta |
We had a little time before our tour began, so we walked outside the walls of the city to the adjacent town of Rabat. Howard Gardens is a nice place to stroll and people watch. Just past the garden, down Santu Wistin Street is St. Mark's Church. Outside are several sculptures of saints.
I really liked this statue of Saint Anthony, so I took a picture. I don't know much about Saint Anthony (except that you're supposed to pray to him when you lose something), but I found out that he is often portrayed with a pig. Some think it's because he was a pig farmer during one point in his life (he was reclusive so details are sketchy) and others say it is because he healed a pig and is the saint of domesticated animals. Either way, I liked the statue and if you want to know more about Saint Anthony, I found a short bio here.
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| We were hoping this guy would be on our tour, we were not disappointed |
Mdina is the ancient capital of Malta and has been inhabited since prehistory. 2,800 years ago, the Phoenicians colonized Mdina (then called Maleth).
If you go to Malta, you'll certainly hear the story of Paul the Apostle who was supposedly shipwrecked on Malta in 60AD. He met the governor of Maleth, cured his father by a miracle, and converted the governor to Christianity, ultimately making the governor the first Bishop of Malta.
The city was sacked, abandoned, and later rebuilt by Muslims 1,000 years ago. Mdina was attacked, put under siege and changed hands several times before the Order of Saint John (commonly known as the Knights of Malta) took over in 1530. They are famous for repelling an Ottoman attack on Malta in 1565.
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| Door knocker, Mdina, Malta |
Walking around Mdina, you'll notice unique door knockers on people's front doors. Each door has a different knocker, but most have themes related to the sea.
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| Mdina, Malta |
While there are lots of Medieval structures in Mdina to explore, the Sicilian earthquake of 1693 (which I mentioned in this earlier post) also damaged many buildings in Mdina, so there is a lot baroque buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
This is why it's good to have a guide to show you around Mdina. Now, I don't want to criticize anyone, but, for us, our guide was too concerned with the history of windows (I'm not kidding) and we had to bail on the tour.
But, not all was lost. We slipped into a cafe and shared a slice of pie and limoncello.
One of the best things about Mdina is the city layout. It is not built on a grid system. The streets are winding and in some places, rather narrow. That's by design. Invaders can't see around corners, making the city easier to defend. And making it easier for tourists to get lost. Which, in reality, if half the fun of Mdina. The town isn't that big, so you'll never get too lost.
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| Playing hooky from the tour, Mdina, Malta |
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| Mdina, Malta |
You can enjoy the sights of Mdina practically undisturbed at night since there are only 300 full time residents of the town.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like my novel Truffle Hunt
Order the Truffle Hunt ebook at Amazon
Order a softcover copy of Truffle Hunt at Eckhartz Press
Order the Truffle Hunt ebook at Amazon
Order a softcover copy of Truffle Hunt at Eckhartz Press
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