STROLLING past a local brass band playing animatedly outside one of the lively cafes that line Republic Street in Valetta, I had difficulty imagining that eight decades ago the banshee scream of Stuka dive bombers and the bone-jarring explosions of their four deadly 110-pound bombs would have been the contrasting cacophony that filled the air as often as seven times each day.
During that desperate period of World War Two, many Maltese were forced to eat their horses, even their dogs and cats, as the besieging Axis forces of Nazi Germany and Italy attempted to bleed them dry, opening the island up for invasion and occupation, through an aerial bombardment that was greater in intensity than any city or country had ever experienced.
As a romantic couple kissed and nibbled each other’s ears on a nearby bench – between nibbling chunks of the hot Pastizzi cheese pastries they had just purchased – such terrible times seemed long past for this tiny, proudly independent and remarkably versatile nation in the heart of the Mediterranean.
Even so, the archipelago (it also includes neighbouring Gozo and tiny Comino) is attracting increasing interest from visitors keen to delve into its countless reminders of that less peaceful past – from the heroism shown during its battles against huge invading 16th century Ottoman armies to the stoic defence displayed in World War Two, which earned Malta and its courageous people the highest British civilian medal available, the George Cross.
SECRET DARK PASSAGES
I joined such a visit for a few days and discovered so much fascinating history – from secret underground headquarters to dark passages still being explored and remote ancient fortresses fitted with gigantic cannon that never fired a shot in anger.
Of course, as we know, such a trip can also be combined with enjoyment of the renowned beaches, nightlife, high-end shopping and a heady mix of cuisine fashioned from the cultures brought from the many invaders who have arrived and left over 3000 years.
Chief among the latter, the Arabic, French, Italian and British influences can be found on many menus, as well as in the language, architecture and even in such success stories as the popular Cisk beer that grew out of the fierce thirst of the Royal Navy’s visiting sailors.
So, on the one hand I found myself tucking into the Maltese and Mediterranean fusion offerings of sea bass and potato gnocchi at family-run Aaron’s Kitchen in the heart of Valetta, and on the other there was the filling rabbit stew, calamari fritti and king prawns platter and homemade pastries at the delightfully traditional United restaurant in Mgarr village.
Mysterious tunnels lie beneath Valetta's streetsAll of which provided plenty of ‘fuel’ for my deep dive into this EU-member country’s extensive military history. Indeed, this tiny, 17-miles-long and 9-miles-wide limestone rock, sits around 60 miles south of Sicily and has witnessed more invaders than Benidorm in August – from the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans to the Arabs, Normans, French and British – due to its strategic importance as a base from which to command a wide sweep of the Mediterranean.
And it is that most recent invasion crisis, during World War Two, that has now created the most immersive experiences, allowing you access to the many once-top-secret underground bases from which the Allies masterminded their fightback during two-and-a-half years of Axis bombing, which turned much of Valletta to rubble, along with its surrounding airfields and its two huge natural harbours.
A multi-million-euro scheme has been under way (and is still continuing) via the Malta Tourism Authority and Heritage Malta to make the country into one of the world’s prime military tourism destinations.
Visitors can now walk 150-feet below the sunny and leafy surrounds of Valetta’s Upper Barrakka Gardens into the cool and slightly sinister surrounds of the twin museums, the War HQ Tunnels and Lascaris War Rooms, which were carved into the soft rock to create one of the most heavily protected headquarters of the last war.
Your exploration takes you through the tunnels first, an extensive maze which began being dug by British and Maltese engineers at the outset of the conflict in 1940, when it was clear that strategically-vital Malta would be on Hitler and Mussolini’s target list.
Secret NATO equipment dumped unergroundFrom the huge regional wall maps (some recovered and expertly restored with their ship location markers in place) to the weapons, uniforms and antique-looking phone and radio sets that were in use, it would be easy to spend many hours absorbing the details.
On the human side, it is an emotional experience to view the rusty iron beds, in their tiny, clammy cells carved by hand out of the white walls, where young British technicians spent many months sending out often-doomed hurricane and spitfire pilots in the air bases above to fight off the swarms of attacking Axis fighters and bombers.
WRECK DIVING OFF THE COAST
Nearby you can also walk into a third even bigger tunnel museum, the huge St Peter’s Galleries - never completed - where piles of once-top-secret teleprinter and other electronic equipment sits in deep holes, where it was unceremoniously dumped as NATO left neutral Malta, under the orders of radical Prime Minister Dom Mintoff in 1971.
One of the island's beautiful beachesIf time had allowed I could have donned scuba gear and dived into the surrounding crystal clear waters to explore the wrecks of some of those RAF fighters or Nazi Stuka and Junkers 88 bombers, as well as sunken warships, that were lost during that bitter siege of the 1940s and now lie at rest on the seabed.
For this visit, I based myself in the heart of Valetta itself, the UNESCO World Heritage classified capital, which has more ancient buildings per square yard than anywhere in the world. Here, you can take a relaxed stroll through a city that was designed as a fortress on behalf of the occupying Christian Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565, when they and the Maltese held out against a 40,000-strong army of Ottoman invaders.
All around are such historic gems as the spectacular Grand Harbour itself, the majestic and very busy St John’s Co-Cathedral and the imposing Grandmaster’s Palace, once the nerve centre of the Knights' operations, now housing the President's office and the armoury.
For trips around the island, readily available taxis –avoiding Malta’s rush hour traffic jams – took me to other iconic sites, including the high walls of Mdina, the very lively ‘Silent City,’ as well as some of the huge coastal forts that seem to have been built by everyone - from the Phoenicians to the Normans and the British.
Key among them is Fort St Elmo, which hosts the impressive National War Museum, and was heavily battered during World War Two as it was a key British base, due to its commanding position on the Grand Harbour.
Nearby, Fort Ricasoli, partly in ruins yet still possessing formidable power, provides you with an insider view of the staging of such Hollywood blockbusters as Troy and the two Gladiator movies.
In fact, across Malta, history oozes like bubbling geysers at every turn. Yet, even more intrinsic to its story, is the stoic resilience and enthusiasm of its people. I met several during my occasional coffee or Cisk sessions in the capital’s charming Café Cordina and was reminded by these open and animated conversations that the spirit that won them the George Cross still burns brightly today.
A grand harbour view in ValettaFactfile
Information on visiting Malta: www.visitmalta.com/en/
For military history: www.visitmalta.com/en/info/world-war-2-tourism-malta/
Remarkable 3D reconstructions of many of these wrecks have been remapped by Heritage Malta and partners and can be viewed online:https://underwatermalta.org/
For a central Valetta base, try the 4-star La Falconeria Hotel, on quiet Melita Street, where doubles and suites start from €100-€200: http://lafalconeria.com/
Flights to Malta from numerous UK airports are being greatly increased this year and start from as little as £19.99 one-way. Among direct flight airlines are: Ryanair, Air Malta, easyJet, British Airways, Jet and TUI .
See More: James Ruddy, Malta, Travel
