Mdina and other Mdina, Malta Things to Do Tips

Mdina, the old capital of Malta, is a lovely medieval town situated in the centre of Malta at an altitude of 200 metres above sea level and enjoy spectacular views of the surrouunding countryside and coast from its ramparts. Although smaller than I had pictured in my mind - and also having seen it from the air as we approached Malta - its an enjoying place to soak up the history of this fascinating old capital.

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Most visitors will enter the old capital of Malta via the Greek Gate. This was named after a small number of Greeks came came from Rhodes with the Knights of St John. The walls of the gate are very old, dating back to Arab times. There are two other gates though and this one pictured here is the main gate - Mdina Gate through which we entered. The third is a hole in the wall where the train used to enter the city.
As you enter through the Mdina gate turn round aon the other side of the gate the three "saints of Malta" are seen - St PAul, St Agatha and St Publius.

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The streets built during the time of the Order of St John in the 16th century are built straight. and this one shown here is the main street of Mdina - Villegaignon Street .

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According to early Christian reports, the Cathedral is sited on the spot where St. Pauld converted the Romean Governor, Publius to Christianity and hence is dedicated to him.

St Paul's Cathedral is the architectural heart of Malta - in a lovely wide open square so you can get a good view of it. In fact when the Cathedral was built (1697-1702) Mdina underwent a major redesign for this very purpose and several streets and houses had to be cleared. It had a lovely golden hue with the sun shining on its yellow facade - unfortunately we arrived at its door literally as it was closing for lunch so we didn't get a chance to see inside. The interior is reputed to be as lavish as St John's Co-Cathedral in Valleta so if that is the case its definitely worth a look .

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Likewise we didin't get to see the Cathedral Musem, situated nearby. This houses a rare collection of coins, silver plate, religious vestments and some woodcuts by the German artist Albert Dürer.
Enlarge the pic though and you'll see the carvings either side of the door that I found really interesting. I'm more into the outside detail such as this.

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Noblefamilies desecended from Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords made their home in Mdina from the 12th century onwards. Their Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets. There is a great example of of medieval and baroque architecture in this ancient walled city. This pic however shows Victorian gothic - a throwback to British rule here which stangely out of sorts it the Cathedral Square.

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Go right to the end of the main street of Mdina and take in the views, from the Bastions, around Malta - its stupendous and we had really clear weather to appreciate it. too. From this pic you can see the thickness of the walls.

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The best preserved medieval building in Mdina is Palazzo Falzon. The Maltese emulated the architecture of the Scilian nobility when under Spanish rule anfd this style of building is known as Siculo-Norman. It has double arched windows and cornice and string course of triangular corbels. Grandmaster L`isle Adam lived in this place.

It wa difficult to take a close look here as part of the road was closed off due to renovations of the pavements in Mdina during our visit :-(

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Not just an ornat balcony her but one with a story as I'm sure most building in Mdina will have. It was from here, the balcony of Cas Viani, Notary Bezzina’s house, that the French commander was thrown, thus beginning the Maltese uprising against the French in 1798.

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Vilhena Palace - the former Magistrates Place is where the keys where given to the first Grand Master of the Order of St John, when they came to Malta in 1530. Much to the delight of tthe nobles in Mdina the Knights chose to settle in Valletta rather than their precious Mdina as it was too far from the harboutr for them here. It has a Frenchy style courtyard and the Place is now the Natural History Museum. Yhe basement was formerly used as a prison and is now converted to the Mdina dungeons attraction - there is a lot youcan see in Mdina!
Seen here is a shot of the doorway though as we decided to see the outdoor sights as usual.

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