Outside the USA, drive-in theatres aren’t very common, although they are found in parts of South Africa – there isn’t one in the Republic of Malta. As the movies are watched after dark, for reasons of visibility, they tend to be open only in the summer months, when evenings are warmer. Typically, a Drive-in theater has a soda bar, selling snacks such as hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, chili-dogs, fries, pizza and popcorn and a range of soft drinks.

The Malta Drive-in is found in the State of New York in the United States, and has been in operation since 1949. Located on Route 9, 1 mile south of exit 13s on the Northway, the venue is open for the whole summer from the last weekend in April until September.

The drive-in has two screens and entry charges are $8.00 for adults and children over 12 and $3.00 for children of 12 and under. The theater charges $5.00 to any car where the occupants have brought their own food and drinks. There is a concession stand at the Drive-in selling snacks and beverages. There is a newsletter that patrons can subscribe to find out what’s showing each week.

Malta Drive-In Theatre
2785 Route 9
Malta, NY 12020
(518) 587-6077

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This maritime graffiti is thought to have been left by sailors about to embark on a trip on the high seas, and perhaps it was done to bring good luck for the impending journey – after all the Mediterranean was infested with corsairs and pirates back then. The oldest church in Malta is that of St Lawrence in Vittoriosa (Birgu). It’s widely believed that it was a donation from Count Roger the Norman, who visited Malta in 1090. The present building dates back to the 17th Century and was designed by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa. The Knights of the Order of St John used the parish church of St Lawrence as their Convent Church, in the days before Valletta was built and became the capital city.

One of the older small chapels is that of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuh, now situated in the limits of Gudja very close to Malta International Airport. It was built approximately in 1430 and is probably one of the best examples of a fifteenth Century parish church surviving on the islands today. Declared a parish in 1436 by Bishop Senatore de Mello, the chapel wasn’t located in a village centre but served as parish church to several outlying, more remote villages. Bir Miftuh remained the parish church for the area until 1676, when the parish church of Gudja was built. The chapel is now under the care of Din L’Art Helwa and is open on the first Sunday of every month from 9.30 am until 12 noon.

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Having been at the crossroads of the Mediterranean since time immemorial, Malta has a wealth of history spanning thousands of years, and these historic monuments and buildings attract visitors to the islands from all over the world.

On Malta and Gozo, there are a number of temple sites, dating from centuries BC. Ggantija Temples in Gozo are reportedly the oldest man-made structures in the world. Found just outside the village of Xaghra, they were built during the Neolithic Period, (Approximately 3600, 2500 BC). These Temples preceded the Pyramids in Egypt (the first built around 2750 BC) and Britain’s Stonehenge (Built between 3100 and 1500 BC.). At Qrendi in Malta, there are two other major temples – Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, both are atmospheric sites overlooking the remote island of Filfla, and at Tarxien there is the most complex temple structure on the islands.

Another major ancient attraction are the catacombs found at Rabat. St Paul’s Catacombs are a complex of underground cemeteries that were in active use up to the 4th century AD. They are located on the outskirts of the old Maltese capital, Mdina, as the laws at the time prevented burial inside the city walls. There is a good audio presentation on site, and they are open 7 days a week.

For more information about the temples, catacombs and other historic attractions, contact:

Heritage Malta
Old University Buildings,
Merchants Street,
Valletta VLT 1175
Malta
Tel: (+356) 22954000
Fax (+356) 21222900

Coming forward in time, The Knights of Malta built several outstanding forts, watchtowers and other historial buildings. In fact they built the city of Valletta, which is in itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist attraction in its own right. In Valletta, you will find The Sacra Infermaria, which was the Knight’s Hospital (now the Mediterranean Conference Centre), St John’s Co-Cathedral and other attractions such as The Great Seige of Malta Experience.

For more information about Knights-era attractions contact:

Din l-Art Helwa
133 Melita Street
Valletta VLT 1123
Malta
Tel: (+356) 21225952
Fax: (+356) 21225952

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As South Africa is in the same timezone as Malta during summer (GMT +2), matches played can be enjoyed sociably. Games are played at 1.30pm (on days with three games), 4pm and 8.30pm.

There will be many venues showing World Cup 2010 games on the big screen, and this is often a preferable option to staying at home. All across the island, bars will be full to capacity with fans – both tourists and locals – watching their country play. In the north, the tourist resorts have many bars where you will be able to watch games whilst having a drink or two. In Mellieha, there are four main sports bars: Billys Bar and Billys Music Club are next to each other on Main Street, 120 bar is opposite the Maritim Hotel on Gorg Borg Olivier Street, and Reflections Sports Bar is in Misrah is-Salib, just behind Shoppers Supermarket.

In Bugibba/Qawra, there is a myriad of bars and pubs that will be showing live games. Fat Harry’s and Rookies are both popular sports venues just off the main square. On Triq Halel you can find O’Reilly’s Irish Pub that also shows games on the big screen. Bugibba/Qawra will probably have the most venues showing World Cup games.

Further South in Sliema, there are a number of bars that will be showing games. Two of the main ones are Black Gold and Portside, both situated on The Strand.

Football is a really popular sport in Malta, so you can expect to find live games being shown at even the smallest village bars and all the band clubs.

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In Malta, all McDonalds and McCafe outlets have free Wi-Fi. Branches are located in Valletta, Sliema (The Plaza), St. Julians, Paceville (Bay Street), Birkirkara, Bugibba, Malta International Airport and Victoria, Gozo.

Cafe Jubilee in Gzira, Valletta and Gozo also has Wi-Fi, ask one of the waiters for the password. There’s also open internet access in the terminal buildings at the airport.

Other free wifi hotspots by location:

Valletta

• Cafe at Marks and Spencer, Strait Street
• Cafe Deux Baronnes, Upper Barrakka Gardens (ask for password)
• Pjazza Regina, Republic Street
• The British Hotel, Battery Street

St. Julians/Paceville

• Balluta Bay Gardens
• Bay Street Shopping Complex
• Bianco’s Cafe, Spinola Bay
• Cafe Juliani at Hotel Juliani, Spinola Bay
• Eden Superbowl
• Le Méridien Hotel – public areas
• Outside the English language schools (EC and EF)
• Portomaso
• Westin Dragonara Hotel

Sliema/Msida/Ta’Xbiex

• Irrera Restaurant, Ta’Xbiex
• Meet ‘n’ Eat, by the gates to The University of Malta, Msida
• Misto Restaurant, on the promenade, near The Ferries
• Pasha, by the gates to The University of Malta, Msida
• Plevna Hotel, Hughes Hallet Street, Sliema
• St James Capua Hospital, Gorg Bog Oliver Street (there’s a cafe on the ground floor)

Other locations around Malta

• Limestone Heritage Exhibition, Siggiewi
• Melita Cafe and Restaurant, San Anton Gardens, Balzan
• Reflections Bar and Diner, Mellieha
• South East Cafe, Marsaxlokk
• Trattoria 1530, Xara Palace Hotel, Mdina

To help readers, if you know of any others in Malta or Gozo (even Comino), please leave a comment.

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Film producers have been using Malta as a location for the past four decades for two main reasons: The Mediterranean Film Studios at Rinella has a purpose-built, 300-foot wide water tank blending with the horizon.

At the Rinella movie park, there is also a deep water tank which are often used to shoot scenes “at sea”, and Malta’s unspoilt scenery can, in effect, “double” as many different countries. In the late 1970s, Alan Parker’s epic, Midnight Express was filmed partly on Malta, with the barracks at Fort St Elmo doubling as a Turkish prison. In 1980, the film Popeye starring Robin Williams was shot on location at Anchor Bay, with the “village” of Sweethaven being purposely constructed for the set. Sweethaven still stands to this day, and has become a children’s theme park called “Popeye Village”.

Other movies filmed in Malta include Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning Gladiator, which was filmed over a 3-month period using a replica of the Colosseum which was specially built at Fort Ricasoli in 1999. Actors Russell Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix, Richard Harris and Oliver Reed starred in the massive production, with Reed sadly passing away in a bar in Valletta during a break in filming. Birgu’s Couvre Port was also used whilst filming night-time scenes close to the climax of the storyline.

In 2003, work on a vast set for the film Troy began with the building of the “city”, the “gates” and the “King’s palace” constructed at Ricasoli using hundreds of Maltese craftsmen. Actors Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Saffron Burrows, Eric Bana and Peter O’Toole starred in the movie which had a budget of $150 million and was one of the most popular films of 2004. As well as using the specially built sets, scenes for the film were recorded at Golden Bay, Mellieha, The Blue Lagoon and Riviera Beach.

The Mediterranean Film Studio’s water tank was used for a number of movies including:

• U-571 starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton and Jon Bon Jovi;
• Raise the Titanic starring Alec Guinness;
• Swept Away produced by Guy Ritchie and starring Madonna;
• Cuttthroat Island, a pirate adventure starring Geena Davis.

In the past few years, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Count of Monte Cristo were filmed on Malta’s sister islands of Gozo and Comino. The most recent blockbuster to be filmed in Malta was Agora in 2009.

If you happen to know about more movies filmed in Malta, please leave a mention below, thanks!

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Commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master , Jean de la Cassière, as the conventual church of the Knights, the church was designed by the Maltese architect Glormu Cassar.

Glormu Cassar was also behind the design of several other landmark buildings in Valletta. Named conventual in the sense of the convent, the church was later raised to equal status with the archbishop’s cathedral at Mdina. Co-Cathedral is explained by its use during the 19th Century – in the 1820s, the Bishop of Malta, whose sole see was at Mdina up until then, was permitted to use St John’s as an alternative, giving the place of worship the name, Co-Cathedral.

Inside, the baroque paintings depicting the life of St. John and intricate stone-carvings were mainly the work of Calabrian artist and Knight, Mattia Preti. The cathedral contains 8 chapels, each one dedicated to the Patron Saint of each of the langues (subdivisions) of the Knights. The most famous painting in the Maltese Islands is found in the oratory of the cathedral, Caravaggio’s The Beheading of John the Baptist (1608). Another famous Caravaggio work is also found there, St Jerome 111. Another interesting feature is the tombstones of more important Knights of the Order – these are intricately carved and contain the Coat of Arms of the Knight who lies at rest beneath each.

Alongside the cathedral is the museum which contains several works of art and tapestries belonging to the Knights, as well as the painting of St. George Killing the Dragon by Francesco Potenzano.

Opening times are Monday to Friday: 09.30 to 16.30 (last admission at 16.00). Saturday 09.30 to 12.30, Closed Sundays and Public Holidays.

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Built as a coastal watchtower by The Knights of St. John, the tower was completed in 1649 during the rule of Grand Master Jean Paul Lascaris Castellar. A series of towers similar to this are scattered strategically along the coastline of the Maltese Islands, and were built to act as communication and lookout points by the Knights in order to ward off attacks by the Turkish Fleet and other enemies.

Red Tower Malta is one of the largest of these structures on Malta and was built to house a battalion of 30 men, protected by its thick walls and cannons and equipped with enough provisions to endure a siege of up to 40 days. The position of The Red Tower meant that guards could communicate – usually by smoke and fire – with forces based at the other defensive structures along the northern coast of Malta, as well as with Santa Marija Tower on Comino.

The Red Tower was also used by the British Military during both World Wars, to complement the wartime pill-boxes that sprung up during the conflicts. Today, The Armed Forces of Malta utilise it for radar purposes.

Over time, the structure was rather neglected until it was restored several years back and is now a major cultural attraction in the area. St Agatha’s Tower is accessed by a stone staircase up to the main door; during bygone times, this was a drawbridge, adding further reinforcement. Around the perimeter is a star-shaped raised area which was added in the 18th century – this entrenchment would have once been a gun platform.

Once inside, there is a display all about the history of the tower and information leaflets are available in several languages. The original stone floor has been preserved and this can be seen through windows cut into the new flooring. At the rear is a small chapel dedicated to St. Agatha. From here, a small wooden staircase leads to a gallery which may have been utilised as a sleeping area for the Knights. Continuing up to the roof, once outside, the views of Gozo and Comino are absolutely breathtaking. It’s worth taking your camera for some unique vistas of the Maltese Islands.

The Red Tower is staffed by volunteers and is open every day from 10h00 – 13h00. Entrance is €1.50.

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