Gbejna

Gbejna – sheep cheese, which gives a fresh, podsuszony or flavored. This is a specialty Gozo.

Pasta

* Ross fil-Forn – rice with chopped beef, eggs, tomatoes and saffron
* Timp – casserole with pasta, meat, vegetables, cheese and eggs

Geography

The Maltese archipelago, which consists of six islands, lies in the Mediterranean. The largest of the inhabited islands, the main island of Malta, located 93 km south of Sicily and 290 km north of the North African coast. Gozo and Comino are inhabited. The landscape of the three islands inhabited by hills and terraced fields marked. Malta has no mountains or rivers. On the coast to find harbors, bays, beautiful sandy beaches and small creeks. Gozo is a ferry from Malta to reach out and has a lush vegetation, rolling hills and rugged cliffs. Comino is the smallest island is by ferry from Malta and Gozo from reach. On the islet of only three Maltese live.

Comino

Comino (Maltese: Kemmuna) is an island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring 1.35 sq. miles in area. Named after the cumin herb that once flourished on the Island, Comino is noted for its tranquility and isolation. It has a permanent population of only four residents. One priest and one policeman commute from the nearby island of Gozo, to render their services to the local population and summertime visitors. Today, Comino is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. Administratively it is part of the municipality of Għajnsielem, in southeastern Gozo.

Victoria

Victoria, the chief town of Gozo, sits in the centre of the island, 6km from the ferry terminal at Mġarr and 3.5km from the resort town of Marsalforn. Victoria’s main attraction is the compact and photogenic citadel – Il-Kastell – with its cathedral and museums.

Victoria is Gozo’s main hub of shops and services. It was named for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. Originally known as Rabat, it is still called that by many of the islanders (and by several road signs).

When to Go

The best time to visit Malta is during the lull from April to June, between the rainy season (such as it is) and the hot Mediterranean summer. This is also when room rates drop by as much as 40%. For fine weather, September and October are also good months to visit, but the pleasant weather can sometimes be interrupted by a hot and humid xlokk (sirocco) wind. Beware the uncomfortably hot temperatures of July and August.

The Christmas and New Year period is a mini-high season in the middle of winter, when many Maltese emigrants return home to visit friends and family, and European tourists come looking for a spot of winter sunshine. Otherwise, you can find some very cheap flight and accommodation deals between November and March.

The main season for festas (feast days) is June to September, but if you want to catch a festa out of season, there’s the Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta on 10 February, and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Cospicua on 8 December. Two of the liveliest and most popular events, marked by public holidays, are the Carnival Week in early March and the L’Imnarja festival on 28 and 29 June.

Valletta

Valletta (Maltese: Il-Belt Valletta, commonly referred to as Il-Belt – ‘The City’) is the capital city of Malta. The city has a population of 6,315 (official estimate for 2005). It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, where Scebberras Hill juts out into the surrounding harbours. The mayor of Valletta is Paul Borg Olivier.

Valletta, the Città Umilissima, is Baroque in character. However, it has elements of Mannerism, Neo-Classical with hints of Modern architecture located in selected areas. Valletta did not escape World War II unscathed; although it remained essentially Baroque in character, the war left major scars on the city. In 1980 the City of Valletta was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Malta

Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta’ Malta), is a small and densely-populated island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands, three of which are inhabited. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea within Southern Europe just 93 km (58 miles) south of Sicily; 288 km (179 miles) to its south is North Africa, giving the country a warm climate.^[1][2] The nation’s de facto capital city is the historic Valletta. Throughout much of its history, Malta has been considered a crucial strategic location due in large part to its position in the Mediterranean Sea.^[3] It was held by several ancient cultures including Sicilians, Romans, Phoenicians, Byzantines and others. The island is commonly associated with the Knights of St. John who ruled it. This, along with the historic Biblical shipwreck of St. Paul on the island, ingrained the strong Roman Catholic legacy which is still the official and most practiced religion in Malta today. The country’s official languages are Maltese and English, the latter a legacy from Malta’s period as a British colony – the United Kingdom is the most recent outside ruling power. Malta gained independence in 1964 and is currently a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the European Union which it joined in 2004.