The building is a two storey edifice having five entrances and quadrangle in form occupying an area of 96 metres by 81 metres.  Originally designed and built by the Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar in 1572, the Palace had been altered and extended numerous times.

Most of these modifications are not documented precisely enough, so that it is hard to judge which elements belong to the original structure and which parts were later added. Even the Palace's building history proves to be a complicated matter: Gerolamo Cassar had to integrate two existing buildings in the Palace, one of which was the first Italian auberge.

The Malta Military Tattoo, which takes place for the seventh year on Saturday and Sunday October 10-11 at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre, in Ta’Qali.  provides an atmosphere of precision marching, formation, gymnastic displays and music, which many find entertaining.

 Narration - My childhood in Malta

 You will find this story very interesting as it will you a glimse of what you be experiencing in Malta.  This story is a narration of a grown up who had spent some time in Malta when he was very young.

 I first visited the Maltese islands in the summer of my third birthday. I don’t actually remember the visit, instead my prompt is an old cine camera film of a small me walking off Gozo ferry, holding hands with my mum and waving at my dad.

My mum was born in Malta, to a Maltese mother and an English father and I grew up spending my summer holidays on the island (locals call it The Rock). We’d visit every summer, taking presents for our vast extended family. We were very much the English relatives, gifting huge bars of Cadbury’s chocolate and brightly coloured plastic beads and bracelets.  We’d spend the first few days visiting relative after relative and each time my dad would be given Cisk lager in a bottle and I’d drink ice cold Kinnie (a Maltese soft drink made from a blend of oranges and aromatic herbs) through a straw.

I treasured the whole summers that I’d spend on the island playing in the sun and the blue, crystal-clear sea.  Some days we’d explore beaches, Golden Sands, Għadira, Armier or take boat trips to Gozo, to Comino, to the Blue Lagoon or around the Blue Grotto of Żurrieq.

Renzo Piano’s project (1986) for the demolition of the gate and the construction of a light weight bridge remained on the drawing board.  Are the new plans going to suffer the same ill fate this time round?  

Visit Renzo Piano's website... http://www.rpbw.com/  

Crunchy Maltese Bread

Although not unique within the Mediterranean framework, the Maltese society was often controlled, if not held hostage, by the importance of the daily bread and the omnipresent fear of hunger.

By the medieval period the Universita or representatives of the Maltese, negotiated treaties with Sicily for the supply of grain.  This practice was kept during the reign of the Order of St.John even though they knew that this could undermine their authority on the territory of the island. 

Have you ever wanted to be where grandeur, art, history and meditteranean culture is? Do you want to treat your senses to good music and classic performances, go scuba-diving or snorkeling at any time of the year, hit the beach, do windsurfing, attend row regattas and festivals, chill out in your dream island where you could easily find the best accomodation deals, socialize with different kinds of people, tour around the history lane, and find quality?

Malta Tourist Industry

Malta 'good value' despite euro exchange rate

Malta may be an attractive option for travellers looking for good value despite the euro exchange rate, it has been suggested.

Easier access to Malta may drive foreign currency exchange with airlines like Ryanair adding new routes to the country at prices that may prove to be more affordable for British travellers on a budget.

The Pauline tradition has been assiduously fostered in Malta since at least the early modern period. The Knights promoted it for reasons of institutional prestige whilst the Maltese considered it as proof of an ancient Christian European heritage that was even older than that of the Order.

There's many good reasons for visiting Malta, and one of the best known activities for families in Malta is the great scuba diving.  The calm, unpolluted waters allow divers to take in the marine life, a wide variety of flora and flauna, cliffs, caves, arches, rocks, sand, colours, shipwrecks and more.  Diving is more than a recreational pastime in Malta.

The destinations are famous and widely visited by tourists from around the world, and is a welcome specialist holiday area for the island.  Malta offers numerous beach diving excursions that explore everything from natural underwater vegetation to WW2 shipwrecks. Malta was an important location during the Second World War and evidence of the battles surrounding the island are best found under the surface in the Mediterranean. The HMS Maori is open for diving and remembrance of WWII episode. Malta's main island is one of the rare destinations that provides scuba diving throughout the entire island.