Balcony seats aren't only inside the theatre in Valletta.

I have two types of Valletta walks.

The first is the Saturday stroll with the bustling crowds and my seven year-old, where at some stage there is a planned pit-stop of a cappuccino for me and a cassatella for him. The second is an evening passeggiata, when the streets are empty and almost silent except for the clickety clack of a heel, where the orange lights play tricks with shadows of our linked arms. And always, at some stage, there is a voice inside that says ‘Look up.’

It’s so easy to go rushing about our lives without noticing what is happening around us. In Valletta, much of the beauty of the old city is above our head. Look up, for there is much to feast the eyes on – whether you’re squinting in the sun, or trying to make out a detail in the half dark.

You will see…

Old balconies
Dolce-vita style signage
Pigeons
An old lady peering from behind a lace curtain
Bold stone sculptures
Caper plants on the bastions
Washing on lines
Wicker bread baskets dangling on strings
Gargoyles
‘Tourists are welcome’ signs
Derelict, abandoned upper storeys
Stepped streets looming ahead vertically
Bird cages in balcony windows

What else have I missed?

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Cappella Sanctae Catherinae: a new choir and old music reviving a gem of a baroque chapel

I’d been meaning to go to a concert at St. Catherine of Italy Church for a while.   I was coerced today by my seven year-old, who’d been to a concert a couple of Sundays ago and loved it.

You have to visit a church like St Catherine’s to get a sense of Valletta’s baroque splendour.  Even among the scaffolding of a full-scale restoration project, there is much to feast your eyes on:  the elegant semi-circular windows, the  portico and the dome characteristic of the Italian architect Romano Carapecchia, responsible for the reconstruction of the church in 1713-14.

Cappella Sanctae Catherinae, Malta’s first all-male voice choir, chose their name because two of their number, Fabio Billi and Giuseppe Agulli, are actually restorers at the church.  For their first outing, coinciding with Malta’s Republic Day, the nine-men choir chose pieces from Palestrina and Asola. There’s something quite magical about the timbre of the male voice singing cappella music in the intimate space of St Catherine’s. There were moments, during the concert, when you could close your eyes and easily lose yourself in the intricate mesh of altos, tenors, baritones and basses.

If you want to have a taste of what Cappella Sanctae Catherinae sound like, see below. This is definitely a choir to watch out for, irrespective of whether you’re a lover of classical music or are just interested in exploring new genres of music. The lunchtime concerts at St Catherine’s continue to offer much to savour. By paying your €5 donation, you’ll be supporting the arts in all senses – those who volunteer the music, and the restoration of St Catherine’s. Fabio, Giuseppe and their colleagues have another solid year of painstaking restoration to go. After which, you’ll be able to feast your eyes upwards to what is apparently a unique style of cupola fresco by Mattia Preti and school.

Cappella Sanctae Catherinae from Malta Inside Out on Vimeo.

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Norbert Bugeja, a master of metaphor and a teller of city dwellers' tales

We often hear the analogy that Malta is a city surrounded by water. And it’s true, our environment is increasingly urban, high rise and densely populated. But a city is more than this stereotype. One man who has spent more time than most in analysing the meaning and metaphor of the ‘city’ is Norbert Bugeja, one of Malta’s leading, young, contemporary poets. We’ll get a chance to see him perform his poetry at the launch of his new anthology ‘Bliet’ (Cities) at 8pm, Friday, 11 December, in the Music Room at St James Cavalier Center for Creativity, Valletta.

Bugeja’s new work is being considered a major contribution to contemporary literature in Maltese. His performance will be accompanied by leading percussionist Renzo Spiteri and acclaimed actor/performer Nicole Bugeja. At the launch, Norbert will perform some of his most popular poems. You’re advised to book early as the event is expected to attract a good audience.

The poems in ‘Bliet’ capture the ‘here and now’ of urban living in cities and towns in and around the Mediterranean as well as in Malta. Bugeja’s poetry carries with it the fascination with journeying, hot on the trail of those unusual stories hidden behind the thick walls, backstreets, squares and narrow pathways where this country and her shadow-cities carry on with their everyday chores.

‘Bliet’ is a relentless autopsy of every nook and cranny we live in and Bugeja leaves no stone unturned. It’s a story in image, rhythm and metaphor; the exhilarating diary of an urban soul that will take you around the steps, ruins, lanes, shopping malls, arenas and rivers that shape the city’s body. From Valletta to Cordoba, from Rome to Seville and Tangiers, from the Birgu’s to the Diju Balli’s of the mind’s eye, ‘Bliet’ is a masterful portrait of our cities’ explosive interiors.

Fellow poet, and critic, Maria Grech Ganado has this to say of Bugeja’s work: “Norbert’s poems remind me of sculpture, with the wind as sculptor. His metaphors are among the strongest I have ever read, his rhythms trance-like. His cities are hewn out of rock but just as simultaneously out of sand. Reading him is like finding a treasure, a rewarding and, to me, a unique experience.’ ‘Bliet’ comes too with an introduction by Dr Adrian Grima, a foremost Maltese literary critic and poet in his own right.

Biog: Norbert Bugeja is a leading writer within the new movement of Maltese literature. His poetry has been published in international poetry journals and read during various poetry festivals. In 2005, he published his first collection of verse, ‘Stay, Fairy Tale, Stay! Memoirs of a City Cast Adrift’ (Midsea Books/Inizjamed, 2005). Norbert Bugeja was awarded his BA (Hons) and MA in English from the University of Malta. As a Commonwealth Doctoral Scholar, he is currently concluding his doctoral thesis and lecturing at the University of Warwick in the UK.

‘Bliet’ is now on sale and is available at major booksellers in Malta and Gozo.

The Event – launch of ‘Bliet’: Norbert Bugeja’s new anthology
When: Friday, 11 December 2009, 8pm.
Where: The Music Room, St James Cavalier, Valletta

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A weekend of blending cutural pleasures - wine, art, books - at Valletta's Fine Arts Museum

Valletta may be more well known for its history and cultural past than its cultural present. But it’s been doing very well of late in living up to its name as it plays host to all sorts of literary, musical, artistic, festive, theatrical and gastronomic events, month in month out.

This weekend sees another art and wine special at the National Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, with a programme throughout 28 & 29 November. The event is aimed at giving us ‘ a passport to enter a world of colours, visit amazing places and meet interesting people…’.

So, it’s a bit of a medley really, but sounds worth investigating, especially if you’ve kids in tow, or are at a loose end – Sunday afternoon, characters in historical costume will be walking the museum’s corridors! And adults might like the ‘Art & Wine @ South Street’ on Saturday evening – another in what’s become a series of such evenings. This time, Maltese contemporary artist Caesar Attard is discussing his works.

Midsea Books, which is co-hosting the event along with Heritage Malta, has a range of their Melintensia books on sale, to complement the talks, presentations, exhibits, and films.

Other highlights:
Saturday at 11.00 hrs, art historian Lino Borg will discuss printing techniques; and there will be what are described as ‘historic films’ screened in the afternoon.
Sunday morning sees a special presentation of Midsea Book’s publication of The Year Baroque Painting in Malta, delivered by its author Keith Sciberras PhD. Sunday afternoon, graphic artist Mark Scicluna, designer of a set of five bookmarks featuring artists represented in the National Collection, will be around.
Fun & Fact:
There are story-telling sessions at times throughout the weekend, as well as special tours for those who may not have ventured into the world of art before. The event also includes music, book prizes and a quiz desk.

Admission:
Entrance to the museum will be free on Saturday and Sunday but donations are welcomed. Further information from Heritage Malta.

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Rainy days and Mondays, perhaps not the best days to tout for rides.

Manoeuvering Maltese roads is bad enough. Our driving skills come close to those of our Italian and Arab neighbours. But what’s even worse is being stuck in a Maltese rush hour jam near Valletta in the vicinity of a karozzin.

Yesterday morning the juxtaposition of old and new rankled. A karozzin driver gabbling into an iPhone, yanking the lead on the horse with his free hand, creates a domino effect of crazy manoeuvres by irate cars with dents, their occupants half-gawping, half running over the entrepreneur and his beast.

I have yet to meet a local who has owned up to having been in a karozzin when sober. In Malta, karozzin drivers’ street cred is almost at a par with our ‘allegedly’ rude bus drivers. It’s a reputation that has been built over some fifty years’ of tourism. Go to Valletta, Mdina, or Rabat, in Gozo, and you will find some naive tourist trying to negotiate a way out of being almost press-ganged into ‘having a ride with the cabbie’ or a ‘tour round the harbour’ or whatever comes out of the cabbies’ mouths. Poet-laureates these guys aren’t. They’re safeguarded as a component of Malta’s tourism, and yet they’re often seen hassling tourists or anyone with fair hair; their horses generally look world weary; and their ‘guiding capabilities’ leave much to be desired from the snippets you hear as they trundle by.

I don’t want to stereotype and tar them all with the same brush. I know every country has its ‘tourism’ artefacts, its ‘living souvenirs’. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing quaint about the karozzin. Vienna has its Fiakr – open horse-drawn carriages – that are polished to the hilt and driven by well-turned out men in uniform. A totally different experience, if costly (but our equivalent can be too). Fiakr can pass being described as ‘romantic’; a word that hardly trips off the tongue in relation to Malta’s karozzin, although I know many wedding organisers do add karozzin to the list of bride and groom transport.

So what makes tourists jump into a karozzin in Malta, get fleeced, and then return home to flood Flickr with their pictures?

Or have I got this all wrong?

Photo: courtesy of Kevin Archaeo

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Kids are always curious; this weekend doors of some museums open specially for them

So often, among fellow mothers at the school gate, I hear moans that Malta’s museums lag way behind other EU countries – Scandinavia and Britain in particular – when it comes to activities for kids. My son spent an entire afternoon on a mock-up ‘archaeological dig’ at an Iron Age hill fort in southern England last summer. And had a ball dressed up as a Roman Gladiator at an open day – with ‘live’ gladiatorial fights – at a Roman Villa museum also in the UK. I did of course pay for what I got, as family entrance tickets weren’t that cheap!

In Malta, few and far between are the museums and heritage sites that have even the simplest of hands-on activities or questionnaires for kids to fill in as they go round a site or collection. Palazzo Falson in Mdina is an exception, but (given the type of collection it houses) kids have to be six to enter. So, a lot of families miss this fine building as they have kids of differing ages. We parents in Malta, have got very good at inventing our own games as we tour local sights and museums. No harm in that. But perhaps, occasionally, tired parents would love some sort of info or activities to help us interpret the heritage that bit better!

To be fair, heritage sites have done more in recent years, and are thinking more pro-actively about their younger ‘customers’. Arts’ venues like St James Cavalier lead the way with busy programmes for children. City festivals, like those at Mdina and Birgu, are always popular with kids. And this weekend is also a case in point; it’s World Children’s Day on Sunday 22 November, and to celebrate it, Heritage Malta, the country’s national heritage agency, is opening the doors of several Valletta museums for kids’ events. Taking part are the National Museum of Archaeology, the Grand Masters Palace and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta. Participant numbers are limited: for details, see below.

Malta Children’s Festival also runs this month and into next, with events and activities ranging from theatre (performance and workshops) to crafts, science, technology, film, theatre, dance, music, sports, history and traditions. Saturdays in the programme see workshops in Valletta’s heritages sites – the Old Opera House, for instance.

The month, running up to 6 December, is being organised by the Education and Culture Ministry to celebrate 2009 as the European Year of Creativity & Innovation. This first Malta Children’s Festival is aimed at “helping children connect to the arts and culture in an inspiring, entertaining and impressive manner”. Long may those aims live! Contact: tel: 79001551; website: www.childrensfestivalmalta.com

Heritage Malta kids’ programme: 22 November

Grand Masters Palace: two activities – a guided tour and a drawing session – at 10.00 hrs and at 14.00 hrs.
National Museum of Archaeology: a Memory Game and a Mystery Object Game at 13.00 hrs and 14.00 hrs respectively.
National Museum of Fine Arts: From 10.00hrs onwards, children will be able to participate in a treasure hunt in the museum and at 11.00 hrs there will be a guided tour.

How to Participate & Book:
Children under 12 years of age can participate in all the events free of charge, but booking is necessary. According to Heritage Malta, it’s now too late to officially book as the offices aren’t open to take calls tomorrow Saturday. But, they did say it might be worth turning up early at the museum you’re interested in, and seeing if they have a space. All adults visiting the three sites between 10.00hrs and 15.00 hrs will be pay half the usual price. The contact numbers given are: email:icmch@heritagemalta.org or phone: 23954239 or 23954242. See also Heritage Malta for museum opening times on Sunday.

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Malta in autumn means that you can wake up to a sparkling blue Saturday. This morning, the Malta Book Fair was the trigger for a walk with my seven year old along Grand Harbour. I wanted to make the most of the sun, and the water. We often go to Valletta on Saturdays, sticking to the shops and cafes. But today warranted a deviation from the norm, and our usual parking spot along Marsamxett Harbour, the other side of the peninsula.

I park on Crucifix Street. A cruise liner was doing a 180 degree turn in the harbour, so to get a closer look we walked into Pinto Wharf below. It’s a real grandstand view of the fortifications of the Three Cities across the water: St Michael at the tip of Senglea, St Angelo dominating Birgu, and a very 21st century cruise liner almost as high as the bastions. You feel like you’re on a film set. And yet, it’s intimate.

Then we walk on towards the elegant Customs House, built in 1774. On a Saturday it’s closed but on weekdays it’s teeming with people queuing at the Department of Customs.

We walk past a row of men and their children with fishing rods. The smell of fish lingers in the air; not from their catch but from the fish market next to them. On weekdays, it’s Malta’s version of London’s Billingsgate. Here, the area is known as Ta’ Liesse. While just an oil-smeared wide patch of tarmac today, for three nights in July it becomes the magical setting for the harbour-side Malta Jazz Festival.

My son wants to go to the Great Siege Bell, the memorial to the fallen of World War II. So we climb up the steps to the ten tonne bronze bell. The sea below us twinkles, the Lower Barrakka Gardens and its arches behind us. Sometimes it feels like there are more cameras than people.

We walk up Triq il-Mediterran to the old “Sacra Infermeria” of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, now just known as MCC or Mediterranean Conference Centre. It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. The place is teeming with stalls, bookworms, their parents and their children. We buy the token book, but we’re both itching to go back to the sun and the blue.

We take the higher road so we can get to Lower Barrakka Gardens. But kids love pit stops, so we decide to get a snack at the QE2 kiosk, one of those hole in the wall bars with chairs and umbrellas outside, cheek by jowl with the gardens. They make wonderful ftiras with tuna, capers, olives and tomato paste at QE2. We wash it down with Kinnie, another perennial favourite.

The Lower Barrakka Gardens are dominated by the monument in honour of the first British governor of Malta, Sir Alexander Ball. It’s a very peaceful place, less busy than its counterpart at Upper Barrakka, but equally impressive for views of the memorial bell and the harbour. Definitely not one for people who have fear of heights.

We walk down Triq Lvant. A great selection of balconies with washing lines, old ladies, sculptures and statues to our right, the Bridge Bar above us. Then down through the Victoria Gate, Ta’ Liesse. It was opened to the public in 1885 during the Governorship of Sir Arthur Borton (1884-1888) and is now gettting a much-needed facelift.

As we double back, walking up Xatt il-Barriera, the sun has climbed higher and it feels like a spring day. My son’s had a good dose of history, pleasantly encountered and related as we walked. I think we chatted through some 500 years in the life of Grand Harbour – perhaps even of Europe.

View Malta Grand Harbour Walk in a larger map

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There's always something headlining in Valletta

Notte Bianca isn’t the only weekend a year it’s worth visiting Valletta to get a cultural fix. You know autumn has set in, chillier evenings aside, when Valletta venues start packing in the events. And this weekend is no exception. We’ve done a quick round-up of some of the highlights that are worth heading to il-Belt for this Sunday. Halloween flavoured of course, but with some music and drama thrown in. Whether you’re going to the capital for morning coffee and newspapers or a post-prandial stroll and tea, try to make time for, and support, something cultural while you’re there.

The First Malta Comic Book Convention

31 October – 1 November
Entry: €7 per day, €12 both days. Children under 11 enter for free.
This is history in the making as it’s the first such convention held in Malta. A friend’s daughter, who is participating with her own art work, is ‘very excited’ to be rubbing shoulders with David Lloyd who did the art for the comic versions of “V for Vendetta”, “Time Bandits” and the “Dr Who” magazine which is published in the USA. That gives you a flavour of what’s in store. Just about everything to do with comics is going to be showcased at the two-day event. Other comic industry names include: Staz Johnson (Spider Man, Wolverince); Mike Collins (Doomsday, American Gothic); Yanick Paquette (X-Men, Superman); and Brian Bolland (Batman, Wonder Woman); and Sean Azzopardi (Twelve Hour Shift). Full details, see St James Cavalier website.

Scream for Halloween

Sunday 1 November: midday, 3pm & 6pm shows. Price euro 10.
Kids’ drama performance at St James Cavalier, billed as ‘the original Malta-Made Musical Monster Show’; suitable for kids aged 6. As with almost all drama aimed at youngsters these days in Malta, tickets for this sold like hot cakes. So much so in fact that there’s now an extra performance Sunday 1 November at midday. So it’s still worth checking for availability if you thought you’d missed out. See St James Cavalier website or call the box office: 2122 3200

Valletta Waterfront Halloween

Every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm, the Waterfront hosts family entertainment and street animation. This Sunday 1st Nov. should be taking on a Halloween guise. See vallettawaterfront.com for more info.

And now for something different…

St Catherine of Italy Chapel – Sunday morning concerts

Sunday 1 November: Baroque Jewels for Flute & Harpsichord.
Works by: Valentine; Telemann; Vivaldi; & Blavet.
Entrance: free, but Euro 5 donation appreciated.
Don’t forget about this gem of chapel and its wonderful lunchtime concert programme that’s become a regular winter feature, running Thursdays at 12.30 and Sundays at 11am. Details from St James Cavalier.

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Now, what to do with the little tigers this mid term?

Next week, Malta’s school kids have three days off for mid term. It’s barely a month since they went back to school after the endlessly long summer holiday, so thankfully mid term is short.

I had no idea until around a week ago that things are organised in Malta to occupy the little dears for the mere three days. So, if like me, the usual outings – beach (weather permitting) or Playmobil Funpark don’t appeal (horrendously crowded and been there, done that lots of times), you’ll be relieved to hear that there is something intelligent, fun and creative for kids to do. And some new venues and activities are coming on stream, which, word has it, are proving popular. They might be booked up for this mid term, but get on the mailing lists for the future!

Two that stand out are: the workshops at St James’ Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, Valletta; and the music and art sessions at the Carmelite Priory Museum, Mdina. And for something authentically seasonal, the Manikata Pumpkin Fair should be a nice diversion for kids Sunday 1 November, from 10.30. See our article on pumpkins too.

St James Cavalier

The Centre has been running a programme of Family Sunday afternoon sessions in the creative arts. I went to Halloween mask and model making last week, for instance. Now, the Centre is running on 2 & 3 November, a creative workshop for 4-7 yr-olds, from 09.30 – 12.30. Price per child, Euro 15, and booking by Friday 30 latest!

Older children (9-12 yrs olds) are catered for with a performance workshop animated by Austrian artist Luise Kloos who has been working with children, their fantasies and stories for several years. Children will be encouraged to form, perform, invent and move. Sessions are free, but on a first-come-first-served basis for 25 places. For this, and the younger kids’ workshops, contact: Amanda Palmier on (+356) 2122 3216 or email schoolsprogrammes@sjav.org.

The Carmelite Priory Museum

A newcomer this year as a cultural venue and a real gem of a place to visit any time, the Priory in Mdina is opening its doors to children for mid term workshops in music and art. Sessions are 2 & 3 November; choose from morning or afternoon. The Music Workshop will be held in the Oratory under the direction of Christine Gauci; in it, children will work on melody, rhythm and other related activities. The Visual Art workshop will be held in what’s described as “the peaceful surroundings of the Cloister” (peaceful, with kids?) under the direction of Maxine Claire Attard. All materials are provided.

What I really like about the Priory’s sessions is that “accompanying adults are invited to relax in the Old Priory Café or attend a Lectio Divina which will be conducted by a Carmelite Friar.” Now, call me elitist, but that seems a dream compared to many a mid-term venue I’ve had to suffer. Children and adults also get a tour of the museum by curator Michelle Galea.

Workshops are Euro 6.75 a child (including light refreshments) and are not suitable for the under fives. Booking is recommended since attendance is limited to 20 children per session. Places are still available as we go to press. Phone on 27020404 or email: carmelitepriorymuseum@gmail.com.

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri

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Notte Bianca: bringing Valletta nights to life, at least once a year

“Notte Bianca” comes from Italian and means White Night. Lately, it’s become synonymous with an initiative of many countries around the world. For one night, a city literally comes to life at night in an explosion of activities till the early hours.

The first “Notte Bianca” in Malta took place in 2006 in Valletta, and is one of the events of the year. In a capital city that, unlike others, tends to go quiet at night – Notte Bianca is the catalyst for all-night activities around the fortified city. Shops, churches and museums remain open till late. And every corner teems with music, opera, poetry readings, exhibitions, dance, street theatre and more. This year, the programme extends to the Valletta Waterfront, and also introduces Corto Maltese to the Maltese audience.

The extensive programme of events is downloadable from the dedicated website. What’s great fun about Notte Bianca is that the compact nature of Valletta means that you can catch a lot of what’s going on if you’re prepared to keep walking. Bring comfortable shoes and you can go from, say, an accordion band to a fashion show in Castille Place to the Rifffs in Freedom Square via an art exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Or take the kids to Hastings Garden for puppet theatre and animation and then head off to the Old Opera House for medieval re-enactments. And whenever you need to recharge your batteries, there are watering holes and food to be found in every street corner.

Notte Bianca is an opportunity to see Valletta like we rarely see it at night: vibrant, electric and with the doors of its cafes, restaurants, museums, palaces and courtyards open to kids of all ages.

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