Update your settings

Story and Photos by Anthony Grant

History is everywhere in tiny Malta,  world’s tenth smallest country by area — it’s only 122 square miles. The population is just over half a million, making Malta something of a modern city-state in geographical terms, but with a legacy of major showdowns.  The best-known Siege of Malta was the one in World War Two that pitted what was then the British Crown Colony of Malta against the Nazis; Britain won. Today there are plenty of places you can see that are linked to that epic battle, particularly in the heavily crenellated capital of Valletta — once fending off pirates, now a popular stop for cruise ships.  

 But it’s the earlier great clash of civilizations, the siege that saw the Ottoman Empire square off against the Knights Hospitaller (and lose) that has captivated the likes of Mel Gibson, who visited Malta recently with a nearly dozen-strong film scout team. He told Movieweb that “I’m working on a limited TV series about the Siege of Malta, which is an incredible story,” he said. “There’s only one place to film it – I mean, Malta – because that’s where it happened.”

Whatever Mel’s got in the works, my guide on a recent visit told me that the Braveheart star was captivated by the things he saw in this legendary archipelago, which is closer to Africa than it is to Rome. 

Since 1925, the Maltese islands have served as the backdrop for at least 150 movies. Malta has been referred to as the mini-Hollywood of the Mediterranean. Castles built by the Knights Hospitaller and others that hover over water of dazzling blue, medieval gates and arches that seem airlifted from Game of Thrones (some of which was shot here) — all this and more is pure catnip for some of the industry’s leading directors. 

Take a walk along magical East Street in Valletta and you may recognize it from scenes from movies as varied as 13 Hours, The Devil’s Double, and Jurassic World: Dominion. And that’s just one street! Much of 2004’s Troy, starring Brad Pitt, was filmed at Fort Ricasoli, a bastioned fort in the Kalkara area, facing Valletta’s iconic Grand Harbour.

Getting around the Mediterranean by yacht may be de rigueur these days but like most Southern Californians, I prefer to explore a place on four wheels. So after my flight on KM Malta Airlines, which offers a delicious gourmet Maltese meal in its business class, I was exploring the scenic island in no time. You can easily drive around Malta in a day. 

I did exactly that. Driving is easy, just bear in mind that it’s British style here. One of the highlights for me and probably a lot of Americans of a certain age, was a swing by Popeye Village, the seaside hamlet that figured prominently as “Sweethaven” in Robert Altman’s 1980 classic movie version of Popeye starring Robin Williams and Shelly Duval. Today it has the distinction of being the only authentic film set in Europe. 

Did somebody say Europe? Sometimes Malta doesn’t quite feel like it, so sultry is the air and exotic the nomenclature. I found myself having grouper with beurre blanc followed by tangy imqaret date fritters at Root 81, a gourmet restaurant in Rabat (not to be confused with the one Morocco), which is adjacent to romantic walled Mdina, and trying in vain to correctly pronounce the name of the fishing village of Marsaxlokk and its seafaring inhabitants, the Xlukkajri.

Back in Birgu, my hotel, the IBB Hotel Palazzo Bettina, was literally once a medieval palazzo, but today has much better plumbing and a rooftop pool to boot. There I was positioned strategically on the south side of the Grand Harbour. Church bells clanged an hour before sunset, and little luzzu boats zipped past sleek yachts with names like Naughty by Nature (don’t get any wild ideas, Jeff Bezos!). 

An onward flight meant a slightly hurried dinner at Terrone, tucked under the ramparts of the mighty Fort Sant Angelo (for more Malta travel tips, go to visitmalta.com) and no time for the even smaller, rustic island of Gozo. I’m not sure if Mel made it there either, but sources tell me he’ll be back in Malta pretty soon. With good reason.