Malta could never be described as a great shopping centre, and many Maltese go on a day to Sicily when they want a shopping spree. The best buys for visitors are the local crafts, which are conveniently displayed and demonstrated in craft villages on Malta and Gozo. Crafts aside, the best shopping is in Triq ir-Republika (Republic Street), Valletta.
It didn’t take the knights of St John long to discover the potential of the slopes of Mount Sceberras and the great sweep of surrounding harbour. A matter of months after the epic siege of 1565, Francesco Laparelli was sent to Malta by Pope Pius IV to advise on the building of a new city. The first stone was laid on 28 May 1566 and the city was completed by Lamparelli’s Maltese assistant, Gerolamo Cassar, just five years later. With the city complete, Cassar spend the 20 years designing the various auberges, the residences for the Knights, as well as the grand Masters’ Palace and the Great Co-Cathedral of St John.