Malta – Artistic Horizons in Valletta & Gozo

We’ll meet at 9 AM for a “Welcome to Malta” meeting at the Upper Barakka Gardens Valletta Malta Grand Harbour, which has one of the most beautiful panoramic views in Malta as it commands a unique view of the only natural harbour in the Mediterranean with the Three Cities as its backdrop. You will be briefed about what to expect from this tour and how to make the best out of your visits. You can shoot your questions in the Q&A session that follows the briefing. Enjoy your coffee and pastries while you interact with the Curator/Tour Leader.

Enjoy a curated walk of Museum Visit at MUZA Valletta. MUŻA is the chosen name for Malta’s new museum of art and flagship project for Valletta’s European Capital City of Culture Title in 2018. The project is a national-community art museum, the first of its kind, being developed in a historic site within the Capital City of Valletta; a UNESCO World Heritage Site built as a city-fortress. The museum houses a major part of the national collection of Malta, which began in 1923 by Vincenzo Bonello, the Museum’s first art curator.The permanent display includes collection of paintings by the Southern Italian Baroque artist Mattia Preti (1613–1699), Guido Reni (1575–1642), the Caravaggisti Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632), Giuseppe Ribera (1591–1662)

The collection also included the works of two outstanding Maltese sculptors, Melchiorre Gafà (1636–1667) and Antonio Sciortino (1879–1947), and a noteworthy group of Maltese landscapes.

After an invigorating tour of the MUZA, its time to break for lunch at the Caffe Cordina. Located in an old palazzo in the bustling streets of Valletta, Caffe Cordina occupies a special place in the hearts of local and foreign visitors alike. Tracing its origins back to a small tea shop in Bormla, it has since grown and flourished into the Maltese icon we know today.

Enjoy your lunch with a glass of wine and some discussions on the tour so far. While you are there, you can admire the history this building with its gilded walls, arched ceiling and beautiful artworks specifically commissioned by the Cordina family.

After lunch we proceed to St. Johns Co-Cathedral for a touch of history and art. St John’s Co-Cathedral is a gem of Baroque art and architecture. It was built as the conventual church for the Knights of St John. The Grand Masters and several knights donated gifts of high artistic value and made enormous contributions to enrich it with only the best works of art. This church is till this very day an important shrine and a sacred place of worship. It is also a venue for cultural events.

We then move to the lower East End of Valletta – the city’s periphery and away from the main centre, to Valletta Contemporary. Here you can experience the uniting of the past and the present; that is, contemporary art in a city with a rich historical background. The space is a hub for the exhibition of art, and also for educational purposes. Focusing on functioning as an interactive centre where culture is the subject of perpetual discussion.

After the tours of St. Johns Co-Cathedral and the Valletta Contemporary its time for a hot cup of local coffee. Get immersed in some good coffee and conversations at the end of your first day while we prepare you to be transported to Transport to Cirkewwa Ferry point. The Gozo Channel will take you all the way from Valletta to Gozo while you enjoy the phenominal sights of Malta.

Beautiful authentic Gozitan farmhouse located in the heart of the quiet village of Gharb, very close to Victoria, Dwejra, and wonderful countryside walks a stone’s throw away. It is just 3 kilometers from Victoria and and the azure window. After you have checked in at Tan Neputi, join in for a group dinner along with your curator. Discuss all you can about art and get to know your tour mates in a more informal atmosphere.

Retire at the Farmhouse and prepare yourself for another day of Art in Malta.

The second day of the Tour starts with a bit of history with a visit to Ġgantija – a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic on the Mediterranean island of Gozo. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the pyramids of Egypt. They are more than 5500 years old and the world’s second oldest existing manmade religious structures after Göbekli Tepe in present-day Turkey. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The discovery of 5500 years of history, its time for lunch by the sea. We head for Xlendi- a village in Malta situated in the south west of the island of Gozo. Enjoy some local cuisine and a glass of wine while you enjoy the picturesque views of the sea.

With lunch behind us, we get transported to Victoria to the Cittadela Visitor’s Center for some historical perspective and free time.The Cittadella Visitors’ Centre is housed in two old water reservoirs built in the 1870’s in part of the Cittadella Ditch.

Enjoy the interactive touch screens and printed panels that deal with various aspects of Cittadella including the evolution of Cittadella, nature, military history, ecclesiastical history and civil history. You can also watch an eight minute video on the salient moments of the millenarian history of Cittadella at the surround theatre.

Our next stop is a gallery for contemporary and modern art called Arthall. Located in the heart of Victoria, Gozo, it promotes groundbreaking, avant-garde, ironic and provocative art in the Maltese Islands. Enjoy the multifaceted exhibitions with local and international artists with some insightful stories by the Curator.

For those interested in purchasing art, the curator will be a useful advisor to select from a wide variety of artworks.

Its time to wind up the tour. The ferry will take you straight to the Cirkewwa Ferry Point from where you can embark on your journey forward. The day ends with summing up and feedback along with attractive offers for other art tours at other art destinations of the world.