Wednesday, July 27
There is so much to see and do in Valletta, and although it is relatively small and easy to find your way around there are some hills, so our legs are getting a good workout! Also with the weather being hot and sunny every day it takes its toll - as does a long lunch! We have found the Maltese food to mainly have an Italian influence, especially Sicily as it's so close and people have obviously moved here and set up restaurants. However it's more like home cooked food, and very fresh.
Our main objective today was St. John's Co-Cathedral. We hadn't come across a "co-cathedral" before so I asked why it is called that - the answer was that there is a cathedral in Mdina (on Malta) but only one Bishop which both cathedral's share! St. John's was built by the Order of the Knights of St. John after the Great Siege in 1565 for their use, and was completed in 1577. The exterior is quite plain and looks more like a fortress, and the interior was originally simple as well. But in the 17th Century one of the Grand Masters ordered a redecoration of the interior, and as the Baroque style was in vogue it is now very flamboyant and a celebration of Baroque art!
The paintings on the barrel vaulted ceiling are amazing, and not too far behind the Sistine Chapel!! The inlaid marble floor was the best we have seen, and consisted of a collection of tombstones of Knights from the Order. The side chapels were dedicated to the 8 langues of the Order, and each one looked like they were trying to outdo the others for grandeur and rememberance of their Grand Masters. The workmanship was amazing in all of them!
The highlight was definitely the Oratory, which contains the largest painting done by Caravaggio of the "Beheading of John the Baptist", and it is the only one signed by him! There were also other works by Caravaggio but not on the same scale. We followed the audio guide for most of the time but towards the end we skipped some as we were definitely getting information overload!
After lunch we checked out a few other sites, and later in the afternoon caught the ferry across Marsamxett Harbour to have a quick look along the Sliema waterfront. The views across to Valletta were fabulous, and we are glad to be staying in Valletta.
There is so much to see and do in Valletta, and although it is relatively small and easy to find your way around there are some hills, so our legs are getting a good workout! Also with the weather being hot and sunny every day it takes its toll - as does a long lunch! We have found the Maltese food to mainly have an Italian influence, especially Sicily as it's so close and people have obviously moved here and set up restaurants. However it's more like home cooked food, and very fresh.
Our main objective today was St. John's Co-Cathedral. We hadn't come across a "co-cathedral" before so I asked why it is called that - the answer was that there is a cathedral in Mdina (on Malta) but only one Bishop which both cathedral's share! St. John's was built by the Order of the Knights of St. John after the Great Siege in 1565 for their use, and was completed in 1577. The exterior is quite plain and looks more like a fortress, and the interior was originally simple as well. But in the 17th Century one of the Grand Masters ordered a redecoration of the interior, and as the Baroque style was in vogue it is now very flamboyant and a celebration of Baroque art!
The paintings on the barrel vaulted ceiling are amazing, and not too far behind the Sistine Chapel!! The inlaid marble floor was the best we have seen, and consisted of a collection of tombstones of Knights from the Order. The side chapels were dedicated to the 8 langues of the Order, and each one looked like they were trying to outdo the others for grandeur and rememberance of their Grand Masters. The workmanship was amazing in all of them!
The highlight was definitely the Oratory, which contains the largest painting done by Caravaggio of the "Beheading of John the Baptist", and it is the only one signed by him! There were also other works by Caravaggio but not on the same scale. We followed the audio guide for most of the time but towards the end we skipped some as we were definitely getting information overload!
After lunch we checked out a few other sites, and later in the afternoon caught the ferry across Marsamxett Harbour to have a quick look along the Sliema waterfront. The views across to Valletta were fabulous, and we are glad to be staying in Valletta.
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