📓 Malta and Gozo - From 2019 to 2024 📖 📸 🎥

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Evaluation of Malta

Despite its proximity to Italy, Malta has its own well-defined identity and very far from the Italian one, made up of British, Arab and Mediterranean influences that coexist in a unique way, even if the climate is very reminiscent of that of Sicily, with long summers, mild winters and sunny and windy days.

It is an island that offers a lot in a relatively small space with a combination of casinos, nightclubs, beaches, history, culture and language schools that make it a perfect destination both for those looking for fun and for those who want to learn something, which is why every year it is chosen by thousands of tourists of all ages and students from all over the world.

For me Malta represented something more because it was my first plane trip made with the school during a study stay, which left from Catania with an Air Malta flight that in just thirty minutes took us to an island that, despite being so close, already looked like another world for culture, language and atmosphere.

The purpose of the trip was to improve the English language and it is no coincidence that Malta is among the destinations most chosen by Italians for study stays since it is full of specialized schools and English is spoken everywhere, next to Maltese which is the official language and Italian which remains widespread both for historical reasons and for the constant presence of Italians on the island.

Tourism here exploded in the 1990s and continued to grow non-stop until 2020, when the pandemic blocked everything, but within a few years Malta managed to rise and return to one of the most active and dynamic destinations in the Mediterranean.

Among the things not to be missed there is certainly Valletta, which is the capital of the island as well as a true historical and architectural jewel, full of museums, palaces, churches, bastions and narrow streets from which breathtaking views of the sea open up, where you can still breathe the legacy of the knights and foreign dominations.

Sliema is instead the modern, elegant part, overlooking a very long promenade full of restaurants, bars and clubs overlooking the sea and during the summer it becomes one of the most frequented points also because of the numerous boat parties that start right there and animate the evenings of the island.

If what you are looking for is real nightlife, then St Julian's is the area where you have to go because there all the nightlife is concentrated with discos, clubs for every taste, young people, cocktails at reduced prices and two casinos that remain open until late at night, creating an always lively atmosphere.

Gozo is the "little sister" island of Malta, smaller, quiet and full of greenery, it is easily accessible by ferry or boat and is ideal for a day trip or for those who want to discover a more authentic, natural and relaxed side of the country with wild beaches, cliffs and silences that contrast with the chaos of the older sister.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention Bugibba and Mellieha, considered among the most touristy and refined areas with orderly promenades, modern facilities, excellent restaurants overlooking the sea, the national aquarium and even a water park, all this makes Malta perfect also for families and for those traveling with children or for those who simply want to disconnect from the rhythm of the routine.

Malta is one of those islands that manage to surprise you with the amount of different experiences it can offer in such a limited space, and the feeling you have when visiting it is that you have never really seen it all, because at every corner there is something new to discover.

All videos about Malta

Original article of 2019

I have never had a great passion for Carnival, on the contrary, I have often found myself avoiding it precisely because I find it rather monotonous to watch the classic wagons that parade through crowded streets of people where everything seems to repeat itself every year in the same way.

Yet, in 2019 I decided to make an exception, perhaps driven by curiosity or simply by the desire to experience something new and so I took a ferry towards Gozo, the beautiful sister island of Malta, just to experience the famous Gozo Carnival.

We left around eight in the evening already full of expectations and with the desire to find out if, at least once, Carnival could offer something different from the usual.

Arrived in Gozo we immediately immersed ourselves in the festive atmosphere: Carnival here is lived mainly in the evening when the streets of the center are filled with colors, music and disguises, it is not only a matter of admiring the allegorical floats that parade, but above all of getting involved with the locals, who participate in an active and original way often wearing ambiguous costumes, extravagant or inspired by the most disparate themes.

The real beauty of this Carnival lies precisely in the fact that you are not a passive spectator: here everyone is dragged into the whirlwind of the party between improvised dances in the street, laughter and meetings with people from all over the island and beyond.

When the music starts playing, the entire city turns into a gigantic open-air disco where the border between the public and the protagonists dissolves and everyone becomes part of the party; you dance, drink, you chat in the bars and you live the night without worries in a unique atmosphere that, personally, I had never found in any other Carnival.

We returned to the hotel only the next day, tired but happy, and with the feeling of having experienced something authentic and alternative compared to the usual celebrations.

If you too, like me, are not a lover of Carnival, I really recommend you to try at least once the one in Gozo: here the party is not watched, you live, and it leaves you with a lightness and a joy that you will hardly forget.

The Gozo carnival 2019

Even today, when I think of that New Year's Eve 2020 in Malta, I feel a whirlwind of emotions and vivid images come back to my mind because it was an experience that really broke the monotony of the usual celebrations.

I wanted something different, a New Year's Eve out of the box but without having to spend exaggerated amounts, so, almost instinctively, I chose Malta, a destination that I already knew and that had always left me the desire to go back, but that time everything would have been different: New Year's Eve would light up the island like never before.

What impressed me the most was the impressive amount of people who poured into the streets of Paceville, the true night soul of the island, a colorful mixture of boys, adults, couples and groups of friends of all ages and nationalities, all united by the desire to leave the old year behind and live a night of pure madness.

The discos (which before Covid were free and open to everyone without any entrance ticket) were full: people went in and out continuously changing rooms just for the sake of seeing what was happening inside the other rooms and the atmosphere seemed electric, almost surreal.

I remember that, as the hours went by, it was evident how many were totally drunk, with very low-priced drinks and the desire to have fun without brakes, and inevitably the night was marked by several fights both inside and outside the premises, small and large episodes that made everything even more unpredictable.

Despite the excess and some moments of tension, the presence of the police was constant: police and ambulances always guard the Paceville area and during that night they intervened whenever the situation risked getting out of hand taking away those who created problems and helping those who had raised their elbows too much.

In Malta, in fact, after a certain hour it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol on the street or consume takeaway drinks but in the confusion not everyone respects the rule and the night was long even for the police, the party went on until dawn, between lights, music and laughter and the next day the city seemed empty, as if it had been paused after an explosion of collective energy.

Another thing I remember with a smile is how easy it was to meet new people, approach girls and make friends, thanks to a climate of carefreeness and freedom that brought everyone closer even if it didn't take much to get involved in unpleasant situations because many girls (often already busy) lived the night with a freedom that was not always pleasing to their respective boyfriends, ready to intervene if things went a little too far.

Even the casinos, for those looking for an alternative to the clubs, were overcrowded, so much so that to register and enter you had to be patient and make long lines.

Ultimately, Malta remains a perfect destination for those who love nightlife without rules, loud music, the possibility of meeting people from all over the world and living experiences that, for better or for worse, stay inside forever.

That night I met Italians, English, Russians, Maltese, Americans, all united by the same desire to have fun and share a New Year's Eve that, despite everything, was one of the most beautiful and intense of my life.

New Year's Eve in Malta 2020

I have often written about Malta, telling its thousand facets and sharing the enthusiasm that for years I have felt every time I set foot on this island in the heart of the Mediterranean. However, I feel the need for a sincere update, because after the Covid period something has profoundly changed and, unfortunately, not for the better.

Malta, which for so long had remained at the top of my list of favorite destinations, today no longer occupies that place in my heart and the main reason concerns its famous nightlife which was the real reason why many, myself included, chose to return there again and again.

During the day the situation seems almost unchanged: the casinos, the beaches and the daily routine flow as always, with that familiar and sunny atmosphere that I have learned to know, it is with the fall of the night that you perceive the change.

Historically, the Maltese nightlife had its pulsating center in Paceville, among a myriad of clubs and discos next to each other with the great feature that they were all free and that the soul of the party was precisely the freedom to move from one place to another, entering and leaving without restrictions, letting yourself be carried away by the energy of the moment. Now, unfortunately, this no longer exists.

The new reality sees most of the discos become paid, and if the cost of admission itself could also be acceptable the real problem arises from the fact that you can no longer live the night "altese": you are forced to make long lines, often even for an hour, pay the entrance and, if you want to change places you have to start all over again.

The evening thus turns into a continuous wait, between one row and another, spending much more money but receiving in return a much more limited experience without that feeling of freedom and improvisation that has always made Paceville unique.

Another novelty, perhaps thought of as an incentive, is that with the price of admission some free drinks (four or five drinks) are offered, but for those like me who do not drink alcohol it is a completely useless advantage: you find yourself paying for a service that you do not use, increasing the feeling of frustration, moreover compared to the past the number of clubs has significantly reduced, many open only from Thursday or Friday until the weekend and the result is that the mass of people that was previously distributed among dozens of clubs now concentrates in a few spaces, making Impossible to even move or dance.

It must be said that there are still some places (very few, maybe two) that have decided to keep the entrance free, and this choice, if on the one hand it is commendable, on the other ends up attracting a huge crowd that all pours into the same place, creating environments so full as to be almost unlivable.

Before Covid, low-priced alcohol favored consumption and the clubs gained money thanks to the continuous comings and goings of young people who, passing freely from one club to another, guaranteed movement and a homogeneous distribution of customers, making everything more manageable and pleasant.

Personally, I believe that this marketing choice, if not reviewed quickly, risks condemning Paceville to a slow decline bringing with it the end of that Maltese nightlife myth that had made the island so special for those who loved the freedom, fun and lightness of Mediterranean nights.

Malta is always beautiful, but the magic of its nights, at least for now, seems to have faded.

Malta Post Covid 2022

Photo of Sliema and St. Julian's

La Valletta Christmas 2020

The Mdina

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