To the south of Sicily, in the Mediterranean Sea, lies the tiny island country of Malta, rich in history and stunning landscape. While the current capital city, Valletta, is the more glamorous and touristy, the previous capital, Mdina, situated in the Northern region of Malta dates back more than 4000 years. This fortified city was founded around 11th century B.C. and had been Malta's capital from antiquity to medieval period.
Mdina can be easily reached from Valletta by bus (from Valletta C2, take bus 51/52/53 to Mdina). The Mdina Gate is just a minute walk from the bus stand. You cross a small bridge and two lions, holding the coat of arms of Vilhena, greet you at the medieval entrance.
Once you enter the gate, you reach the Pjazza San Publiju which has a small souvenir shop, Mdina Glass shop, a police station and the Vilhena Palace, which is open to the public as National Museum of Natural History.
Mdina Glass shop and the glass products
You can visit the Vilhena Palace at €5 (for adults) or if you are in for a different and spooky experience, check out the Mdina dungeons (also for €5), which shows some gory exhibits of Malta's gruesome past. We skipped this bit but did not forget to take a quick snap at the wooden guillotine just outside the Vilhena Palace.
Reetam at the guillotine :-)
From here, we took one of the narrow lanes, probably Mesquita Street, and suddenly felt like we have entered the pages of history. With hardly any modern car in view and only a few horse carriages, the place seemed to be stuck in the medieval periods.
Mdina is very small and does not take more than 2 hours just to explore every street and corner of the city and taking photographs (exploring museums might take more time). You can just immerse yourself in the beauty of the streets adorned by the lovely facades of the buildings; the colourful doors, which are the speciality of entire Malta; the churches and houses of the nobles; and a few cafes and restaurants.
Pjazza San Pawl is one of the main squares of Mdina. The 12th century Cathedral of St Paul stands here. The original cathedral was damaged in the Sicily earthquake in 1693 and was rebuilt in Baroque style between 1696 and 1705. The red dome of this cathedral dominates the skyline of Mdina though not visible from this square.
Adjacent to the church, is another building which was also damaged in the 1693 earthquake and was rebuilt in 1728. This Neo-gothic house, Casa Gourgion, was built by the Maltese architect Andrea Vassallo.
Aditi in front of the red door of Casa Gourgion
Another colourful building at Pjazza San Pawl
At the farthest end of the fortification lies the Pjazza Tas-Sur which has a few souvenir shops and a 500 year old Palazzo in Mdina where you can stay for a couple of days.
View of Rabat outskirts from Pjazza Tas-Sur
There are many theories to why Mdina is called the Silent City - some say when the capital was moved from Mdina to Valletta it literally became a ghost town, while the other common belief is that, with only 300 residents and almost no cars being allowed inside Mdina (with some exceptions), there is literally no sound, giving it the apt title. You can feel it while walking the streets even if you have fellow travellers. You will not feel like making any noise either.
One of the most Instgrammable spots of Mdina and hence a must visit [make sure your pics are taken properly by a fellow traveller or better, carry your tripod ;) ]
The best time of the day to visit Mdina would be late afternoon and if possible, stay there till evening when the street lamps start to light up the winding lanes. With most of the tourists having left by that time, the silence becomes more prevalent.
If you have time, also visit the Howard Gardens and the Greek Gate or take the Malta Fun Train to discover Rabat, Mtarfa and outskirts of Mdina.
You can also visit the local history museum (10AM-5PM), The Knights of Malta, if you want.
If you are in Malta, do make Mdina a part of your itinerary and get lost in the silent streets of this ancient city. You might end up falling in love with it like we did.
How to reach: Bus 51/52/53 from Valletta C2 (if you are staying in Valletta) to Mdina Gate
(all buses in Malta have WiFi, so it is easier to find routes while travelling)
Where to stay: The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux or 500 years old Plazza in Mdina Centre
(However, these are too expensive options and we would anyday prefer to stay in Valletta and drive or take public transport to Mdina for a day trip)
Where to eat: Fontanella Tea Garden, Bacchus Restaurant, Coogi's.