Our History Malta Excursions
The Maltese islands in the heart of the Mediterranean, small in size but enormous with its chequered history. The first settlers crossed all the way from Sicily, circa 3600 B.C., built magnificent temples, that survived up to the present day. From temple builders, our islands passed on to the Phoenicians, being seafarers made use of our islands because of its sheltered harbours, thus putting Malta on the map. Since then our islands never ceased to be occupied by many dominators due to its strategic geographical position. Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, the Knights of the Order of Saint John, the French and lately the British however all left an impact on the island. With the advent of the shipwreck of St. Paul in the year 60 A.D., Malta became a catholic island. Under the Knights of the order of St. John, Malta obtained the fame as the nurse of the Mediterranean. After the great Siege against the Ottomans the capital city was built bearing the name of its founder Grandmaster La Vallette, a city built by gentleman for gentleman. After the Knights the French ruled the island for just over two years, thus giving way for British. The British period saw the First and Second World War. The islands went through the worst blitz, however managed to struggle, no wonder that Winston Churchill referred to our island as the unsinkable carrier. In 1964 Malta obtained its Independence from the British and in 1974 Malta became a Republic Island. In 2004 Malta joined the EU. The Maltese islands are a true haven for the modern day tourist from archeological sites to magnificent chapels, churches, cathedrals, a mixture of different architecture, beautiful beaches, offering all kinds of water sports including also diving, night clubs, bars excellent restaurants and casinos, to village festas. A true mixture of culture and traditions.