Malta is an international tourist resort, known and appreciated, also and perhaps above all, by the Italians, who are also geographically very close to the island.
It is easy to find traces of Italy in Malta, both in the historical past and in the modern fabric.
Malta and the Italian spirit
The tongue
Would you imagine that Italian was the official language of the Maltese state? The country today has two official languages, Maltese and English but until 1934 the official language was Italian, also used in the writing of the naval code of the state. Our language is still widespread in Malta today, the Maltese learned it by listening to and seeing Italian television, and they are still very fond of the television programs broadcast from Italy that they follow with passion.
Also in the Maltese language there are many words that derive from Italian and also words very similar to terms of the Sicilian dialect.
Here are some examples:
gelat - ice cream
in short - in short
pear - pear
poggaman - hand rest
revjarin - wake up
kolazzjon - breakfast
zalza - sauce
kalzetti - socks
gakketta - jacket
karta - paper
The art
In Malta there are 365 churches and many are enriched by the works of Mattia Preti, Italian, Calabrian, who in 1961 moved to Malta where he painted over 400 works including frescoes and paintings.
Among other things, he made part of the decoration of the Co-cathedral of San Giovanni in Valletta, and the Conversion of St. Paul into the old one St. Paul's Cathedral in Medina.
The Maltese are proud that their churches are embellished with the art of an artist, Mattia Preti, whose works are exhibited in cities and museums of international importance such as the LOUVRE in Paris, to name one.
In Malta you can also admire, in the church of St. John, the St. Jerome Writing, this work represents one of the large canvases made by Caravaggio in Malta. As a sign of thanks, the artist portrayed the Grand Master of the Order of Malta Alof de Wignacourt in the face of the saint, who had given him help and protection.
The religion
Malta is a very Catholic nation, with festivals in every city to honor the patron saints.
One of the most famous beaches in Malta is St. Paul's Bay, St. Paul's Bay, the name derives from the shipwreck of St. Paul, which is documented in the acts of the apostles. The XNUMXth century church of San Paolo, which is obviously dedicated to the saint, is it was built as evidence of the event, and is built on the archaeological site of a Roman villa in the frame of the splendid sea of St. Paul's Bay where nature is characterized by white rocks with bushes and dandelions that grow in the dryness of the soil. On the seafront there are very tall palm trees, shaded areas and benches on which to sit and admire the sea and the boats in the typical colors, blue, yellow, red and white.
and more ...
The Maltese government has entrusted the architect Renzo Piano, Italian, senator for life, one of the most famous international architects, the new Parliament Building, which welcomes the many tourists at the entrance of Valletta, the Maltese capital.
And sport, do we want to talk about it? Maltese supporters are equally distributed between Italian and English football teams, the most followed Italian team of all is Juventus.
In short, those who go to live outside Italy may have many and various reasons, but they carry within themselves a heritage of native words, places and flavors, and always look for a little of their land in the territory that hosts them.
