Still, having said that, we will see an average of 5.5 hours per day of sunshine and 95 mm of rain. Compare all this to Manchester in the UK, having an average daytime temperature of 6C, night time of 1C, 89 mm of rain and 1 hour of sunshine.

What is good about Maltese weather is that if storms come, they generally will not last more than a few hours, so one should never have to wait long for a break in the weather. The storms can also make for some spectacular views of the coast as the waves of a stormy sea crash against the rocky coast.

Weather watch is brought to us by our regular weatherman Tony Muscat who runs his own monitoring station, it-Temp, in Mellieha in Malta’s north.

Photo: Courtesy of Leslie Vella.

Although not the coldest month, December’s weather is a mixed bag. With daytime temperatures of around 18C, it’s entirely possible to see on a sunny day, the Maltese dressed up in coats and scarves and conversely see tourists in shorts and T-shirts. Even night time averages of 12C are not particularly low.

It may not be the coldest month, but it is the month with the shortest number of hours of sunshine, at 5 hours. And along with November, is the month with the joint highest rainfall of 110mm. With the sea at 17C, only the really brave will put a toe in the water. But it is in fact this sea temperature which has the warming effect on the air temperature, making December often more mild than one would expect.

Photo: courtesy Leslie Vella

Average daytime temperatures of 21C and at night of 15C means that it is still warm, with occasional days where a t-shirt may be worn still. And with around 6½ hours of sunshine per day, there is still opportunity for a tan.

Only the brave would take a dip in sea. Although its temperature of 20C sounds inviting, it will feel very cold.

Weather watch is brought to us by our regular weatherman Tony Muscat who runs his own monitoring station, it-Temp, in Mellieha in Malta’s north.

May weather…

May is a great time of year in Malta. This is when rainfall diminishes to a minimal 10mm (compare that to 61mm in Manchester), and there is a comfortably warm average daytime temperature of 24C. The countryside will still be green just before its starts to get scorched brown in the summer sun, and one can still stroll around in a T-shirt very comfortably.

There will be an average of 10 hours of sunshine a day during the month of May, enabling one to fill up ones days with outdoor activities from early morning till late. In fact, at 3,000 hours, Malta has one of the highest number of hours of sunshine a year in Europe. This is nearly double the number when compared to other northern European countries. London, for example, has 1,461 hours of sunshine a year.

Even the most popular beaches will still be quiet as Maltese will not venture into the sea with a temperature of 18C. Tourists may be more brave though.

Photo: courtesy Susan Attard.

Heads up it's going to be a nice day. Cape Sorrell springs back after February storms.

We’re starting a monthly weather watch in response to the frequent queries we get from Malta visitors asking ‘What’s the weather like in [month x]‘. Always crucial when you’re holidaying here, of course, but the weather is also a ready topic of concern and conversation if you live here. As we post this, news has come in that the next couple of nights could see the lowest in March in Malta for a decade, with temperatures taking a plunge to just 4 degrees Celsius. But, the past day or so has seen sun and warmth penetrating after a very unpleasant end to February.

Our weather man is Tony Muscat who runs an incredibly sophisticated home weather station in Mellieha, under the name it-Temp.com. Here’s his month’s round up but don’t blame us if you experience March in Malta differently!

March madness
March is the month when the rainfall starts to diminish and the days start to get warmer. It will still be chilly in the evening at around 12 degrees Celsius, occasionally dipping as low as 8 degrees C, but the days can be pleasant with up to 7 hours of sunshine providing an average daytime temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, possibly going up to 24 degrees Celsius.

Even if it gets this warm by day, consider carefully before jumping into the Mediterranean, as the sea temperature is as low as it gets at 15 degrees Celsius.

The rains in January and February will have turned the countryside green, so combined with the pleasant daytime temperatures, it makes it good for country walks in light clothing by day, but do bring jumpers and coats for use at night.

Weather courtesy of Tony Muscat, it-Temp.com
Photo: Cape Sorrell, or the ‘English Weed’ covers all Malta in springtime yellow. Courtesy of Leslie Vella

Walls with frontiers - Victoria Lines at Bingemma.

Fortifications, bastions, cavaliers, curtains, ravelins – so many names in Malta for stone walls. Here, Leslie Vella points his camera and his attention at a wall less often mentioned in guide books but that’s historically and geographically fascinating all the same. A wall you can walk as well!

I will start by making two observations. The first observation is that most visitors to Malta will be immediately struck by the extent of the fortifications constructed during the reign of the Knights of St John in Malta (1530 – 1798), but very few will take much notice of the British era fortifications built during the 19th and 20th centuries. The second observation is that the extent of population and construction spread in Malta is concentrated in the southern half of the island, with the northern half being much less developed.

The major British fortification in Malta is the one known as the Victoria Lines which spans a 12 km stretch between Madliena/Bahar ic-Caghaq to the East and Kuncizzjoni/Fomm ir-Rih to the West. This fortified system consists of four forts, a number of gun batteries and an unbroken infantry line which connects them together to form a continuous defence which stretches from east coast to west coast and effectively cuts Malta into a northern and a southern half.

Why the wall?
When the British arrived in Malta in 1800 their major task was to afford as much protection as was possible to the Grand Harbour area, particularly in view of the great technological advances made by artillery which could launch shells from a far greater distance than was the norm when the Knights built the complex fortifications around Valletta and the Three Cities.

Their major preoccupation was with the exposed sandy beaches in the north of Malta which were then seen as a strategic nuisance rather than the tourism and leisure asset they are today. Their fear was that an enemy landing in the undefended north of Malta could establish an artillery line which could inflict major damage on the harbour installations.

Where’s the wall?
After considering many options they finally decided to capitalise on a natural fault line which neatly cuts Malta into two parts at the place of its maximum width and to construct a fortified line thereby protecting the populated south from the undeveloped and exposed north. We still travel up and down this fault via various major roads in Malta such as the Bahar ic-Caghaq Coast Road between Splash and Fun and White Rocks, it-Telgha ta’ Alla w Ommu in Naxxar and Targa Gap Road outside Mosta among others.

What is the wall?
This defensive system was built and developed over a 29-year period between 1870 and 1899 and was originally called the North West Front. It was eventually re-christened the Victoria Lines in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. The Victoria Lines consist of four forts (Pembroke, Madliena, Mosta and Bingemma) together with an unbroken low-walled infantry line linking Forts Madliena, Mosta and Bingemma along the course of the fault. The wall is a relatively unimpressive two-metre high affair in most places, but its main objective was to enable defending soldiers to fire down on the enemy below from their protected vantage point in the ridge around 150 metres above.

Why the wall is important to us today
To the military history aficionado, the Victoria Lines provide yet another dimension to Malta’s millennial history as a strategically located island. They are a logical extension of the defensive works developed by the Knights and shows the extent of what lengths those who valued Malta’s location were ready to go to, to defend it from falling into enemy hands. It is a major, military architecture undertaking built before the advent of heavy machinery and still stands relatively unscathed today, more than one hundred years after it was completed.

For those who are less interested in military matters, the Victoria Lines sit atop some of Malta’s highest ground, some 200 metres above sea level, and a walk along them affords excellent views of the entire northern half of the island together with Gozo and Comino. Even distant Sicily is clearly visible on crisp winter days. Another bonus associated with a walk along the Lines is that they are set along some beautiful countryside which is generally free from excessive development. Beautiful walks are possible near Gharghur, on the Dwejra Lines overlooking Mosta and Mgarr and between Bingemma and Fomm ir-Rih.

Like a lot of our ancestors’ major efforts aimed at protecting Malta from invasion, the Victoria Lines were never tested in war. They however remain as a legacy to times gone by when conflict around our shores was a daily reality and when war, or the prospect of war, brought economic prosperity while peace brought depression and hunger.

I also value the Victoria Lines because they have probably, unwittingly, constrained development in Malta to the southern half whilst ensuring that the northern half remained relatively emptier. Having been built to resist invasion from the north to the south, their major achievement has been to suppress development from breaching their unbroken line and invading the north! For this we should be grateful as it has ensured that in spite of living on one of the most densely-populated territories on the planet we still have a beautiful, open countryside which is there for all to enjoy.

Useful Links
Video, photos, maps and more info on the Victoria Lines here

Photo: Leslie Vella

Water, water everywhere but how much can we drink?

This is a photo story inspired by Leslie Vella’s perfect capture of this watercourse with its flash-flood waterfall of autumn. This was after a violent storm raged all night one October.

To an outsider, the scene may look like it’s springtime. And of course it is – Malta’s autumn rains see what we call our second spring, with its flurry of plant growth and flower blossoming, and people sneezing as pollen and spores get released.

I never fail to be amazed each year that within a mere two weeks or so, the Islands’ countryside turns from parched, arid wasteland into a lush pastoral scene. You feel you can almost see the plants growing, rather like in those still life films on speed.

From now to Christmas, Malta is for me at its best. But as to the waterfall water that looks so fresh and inviting…well, we might be wise to dwell on some of Malta’s water issues – nitrates in our borehole water and the costs of water production by reverse osmosis and our overall dwindling resources. See the post by water engineer, Marco Cremona for info on water bills, tariffs, production and waste.

Laid bare for all to see - millions of years of squashed sea molluscs

Malta is entirely composed of sedimentary rocks. This means that the geology of the islands is made of the compacted sediments of rocks deposited in a constantly changing Mediterranean over millions of years.

Effectively, all of the land comprising Maltese territory was formed underwater through the slow but steady layering of sediments of particles settling underwater. As is to be expected when viewing a series of layers, the ones at the bottom are the oldest with age gradually decreasing as one approaches the topmost layer. In the case of the Maltese rock layers, the oldest sediments of lower coralline limestone were deposited in the Mediterranean Sea around 35 million years ago while the most recent layers of upper coralline limestone were only formed a mere 7 million years ago.

Although in human terms these timeframes seem immense, the young age of Maltese rocks is placed into perspective when considering that the extinction of the dinosaurs took place 65.5 million years ago. This means that when the lower layers of rock comprising our archipelago were being laid, the dinosaurs had already been extinct for more than 30 million years.

The Maltese rock layers are neatly subdivided into five distinct types, starting from the bottom as follows:

• Lower Coralline Limestone
• Globigerina Limestone
• Blue Clay
• Greensand
• Upper Coralline Limestone

Both Coralline Limestones were formed in shallow waters and comprise the skeletal remains of algae, corals and molluscs. The Globigerina Limestone, source of Malta’s honey coloured stone used for construction was formed at a period when the sea became deeper and is mostly made of the microscopic remains of a single-celled animal called globigerina.

Lying above the globigerina layer, the blue clay layer originated on land, probably in Italy and was deposited as detritus from rivers draining water from the Italian landmass.

Following the period that led to the depositing of the blue clay in a relatively deep sea, a shallower period with strong surface currents led to the deposit of the greensand layer. In spite of the colour associated with its name, greensand is generally visible in those Maltese sandy beaches where there are clay slopes and where the sand has a reddish hue. Beaches such as Ghajn Tuffieha, Gnejna and Imgiebah in Malta and Ramla l-Hamra and San Blas in Gozo all feature reddish sand that has found its way into the sea by sliding off the clay slopes surrounding these beaches. With respect to colours: the chemicals comprising greensand turn red when exposed to the air through the process of oxidisation!

This short description is aimed at helping readers acquire a basic understanding of the geology of Malta. It is important to appreciate the marine origin of these islands, together with the fact that the very rock on which we stand is made of the remains of billions upon billions of dead marine creatures that were deposited at the bottom of the sea over a process spanning millions of years.

It also helps explain why Malta lacks natural resources such as metals and why our fossils generally comprise marine organisms rather than land animals or plants.

At a time when the impact of carbon-induced climate change is universally recognised, it is also relevant to ponder upon the fact that the entire landmass of the Maltese islands is comprised of carbonate rock implying that all the landmass we take so for granted consists of captured carbon dioxide which would otherwise have remained in the Earth’s atmosphere to the detriment of life as we know it!

Comino, so desolate, yet so rich a part of Malta's story

This is the first guest post from Evarist Bartolo, Shadow Minister for Education and a lecturer in communications at the University of Malta. More than 30 years ago, he taught one of Malta Inside Out’s founders, Alex Grech, to write and appreciate English literature.

There are at least 500 islands in the Mediterranean. One of them has six inhabitants: four men and two women. The youngest is a 42-year old man; the oldest is a woman, twice his age.

Throughout the last 23 centuries pirates, hermits, prisoners of war, exiled knights, farmers and tourists have settled the island. Some 80 years ago, one of the German prisoners of World War I held there, built a water mill driven by a rat. Apart from rats, bats and wild rabbits, most of the inhabitants there have been pigs.

2,500 years ago, the navigator Scillace called it ‘Lampas’. Cluverius called it ‘Hephaestia’. 1,800 years ago Ptolemy referred to it as ‘Chemmona’. ‘Kineni’ in Greek means nearest to and Comino lies nearest to Malta. The Arabs called it ‘Kemmuna’ perhaps a corruption of the Greek word, or a reference to the plant of ‘kemmun’ (cumin) which covered large areas of the island at the time.

In 1285, Abulafia, one of the earliest Cabalists and born in Saragossa in 1240, arrived on Comino to live there for three years during which he compiled his “Sefer ha-Ot” (The Book of the Sign).

Five years before he found refuge in Comino, Abulafia went to Rome to convert Pope Nicholas III to the ideal that Moslems, Jews and Christians could live together in harmony, instead of persecuting one another. He fled to Comino after being flung into prison for four weeks in Rome and then having to leave Palermo hastily as his teachings were considered too dangerous and he was going to be stoned by the people.

While Abulafia lived in a cave at one end of the island, at the other end pirates sheltered in the bays and caves which were excellent hiding places for them for many centuries. We know of at least two local hermits who lived there for some time. A small Catholic community must have lived there over 600 years ago, big enough to sustain a medieval chapel.

The island was probably abandoned when the raids by corsairs became frequent, as the inhabitants had no fortifications in which to seek refuge. In the 15th century, taxes had been collected by imposing an excise duty on wine imported from Sicily but the money was not used for the tower that had been planned for Comino. In 1533 Grand Master l’Isle Adam also commissioned a plan for a tower on the island but again this project fizzled out.

Grand Master Wignacourt built the existing tower in 1620 and 30 soldiers were stationed there. At this time, knights who had misbehaved in Malta were punished by being sent to Comino.

The island was to serve as a prison camp on a number of occasions. At the end of the French occupation, Comino was used for French prisoners, Maltese who were accused of spying for the French and common criminals.

150 years ago, farmers from Naxxar settled on Comino and started growing crops. The 1881 population census for the Maltese Islands tells us that 20 males and 13 females lived in Comino. Ten years later, the population had increased by 10: 25 males and 18 females. Nearly half of the inhabitants, 17, were children under the age of five.

In 1912, Comino served as a site for an isolation hospital for cholera victims. Soldiers wounded in the war of the Dardanelles were also sent to Comino for treatment. The hospital building still stands there.

Several times during the last 200 years there were several big projects to make use of Comino, including a big pig farm in 1993, when the island was considered ideal to rebuild the Maltese and Gozitan pig industry after African swine fever disease destroyed it.

Comino is a small rock that has seen almost as many twists and turns of fate as its larger sister islands. These days, apart from its six residents, it’s home to one hotel, seasonal staff and tourists, numerous sea craft and a very popular blue lagoon.

Photo: Therese Debono

A far cry from Malta's regular baroque churches, but draws a packed house

At Malta InsideOut, we’re starting a section of insider views on Malta and Gozo’s town and villages. It’s all well and good to read the brief guidebook entries, but nothing beats the views of someone living in the localities themselves. Here, in our first ‘my kinda town’ post, Andrew Galea Debono talks about Swieqi; a somewhat urban sprawl that nonetheless has its traditional bars and quainter aspects….

My Swieqi

What is Swieqi? Well, Swieqi is mainly a residential town, with a few hotels, tourist apartments and a couple of language schools thrown in. It is adjacent to the party area of St. Julian’s and Paceville and is easy walking distance for St. George’s sandy beach, and around a 20-minute walk from the beginning of the charming Sliema promenade.

I’ve been living, on and off, in this town for 25 years or so. Well, to be fair, the area I live in was previously known as St. Andrews but has been engulfed by ever-expanding Swieqi until the two towns became one. Swieqi also includes the areas of Madliena and Ta’ l-Ibrag. Like almost every other Maltese town, Swieqi (with a population of around 8,200 people) has grown rapidly over the years – an urban development which, more often than not, has been far from pleasing to the eye.

Geography
Having said that, Swieqi (close to, but not touching, the coast of the north-eastern part of the island) still has its charms. To one side is the valley of St. Anthony, a part of which has been saved by the obnoxious urban expansion, where it is still possible to enjoy relatively quiet walks. In springtime, the valley is particularly green and has lovely views of the sea. There are a couple of farms by the valley, one of which sells fresh agricultural products.

History & Places of Interest
Compared to other Maltese towns, there is very little history to Swieqi. Most of the existing sites can be found in Madliena: the Victoria Lines, Madliena Fort, the Batteria San Giovanni and the Madliena Chapel. Looking for these sites is an enjoyable stroll among luxurious villas and fields. The only other historical buildings are the British Army barracks dating back from the 2nd part of the 19th Century, which can be found on the border between St. Andrew’s and Pembroke.

The most famous bar would probably be Jessie Bar, right in front of the Luxol St. Andrews football ground. Jessie Bar has been around since the time of the British regiments in Malta, who used to visit from the barracks close by. Luxol Football Club premises not only offers people a chance to hire out one of their 5-a-side football pitches or have a pizza and beer whilst watching a game on the big screen inside their bar. From time to time, the main football ground is used for some of Malta’s biggest concerts – hosting the likes of Roger Waters, Brian Adams, Zucchero and the famous Maltese tenor, Joseph Calleja.

The Swieqi parish church, in the Ta’ l-Ibrag area, is dedicated to ‘The Immaculate Conception Mother of the Church’. Being a somewhat new town, with the majority of its population coming from other parts of the country, Swieqi does not really celebrate its feast (commemorated on 8th December) except for a mass and small procession. The church is a modern building, it’s first stone being laid in 1964, and is built in a very minimalistic style. It’s far from being one of Malta’s most impressive Churches with regards its artistic value, but the Sunday Mass – especially a Mass in English at around noon – is very popular with believers from other parts of the island.

My favourite things to do in Swieqi

• taking a stroll to the top part of St. Anthony’s valley and enjoying the sea view below
• taking a beer surrounded by the colourful characters at Jessie Bar
• eating pizza at the Brewmaster (surely one of the best pizzas on the island)
• playing some football at Luxol Football club and having a drink afterwards
• walking to the nearby town Paceville for some nightlife or to Pembroke for a more relaxed walk near the sea at dusk.

What I dislike most about my town
The senseless and tasteless construction of multi-story buildings in the area, and the rowdy drunken youths in the lower part of Swieqi going home after a night of boozing.

How to get there
From Valletta you can catch buses 64 (stopping at the upper part of Swieqi), 67, 68 (which keeps on going to Bahar Ic-Caghaq) and 671 (which is an ‘express’ bus passing through the quickest route).
From Bugibba / Marsaxlokk (via University and the Three Cities) you can catch bus 627
From Sliema / Cirkewwa (via Mellieha and St. Pauls’ Bay) catch bus 645.
From Sliema / Bugibba catch bus 70 (operational only in Winter months).
From Sliema / Golden Bay (via Bugibba) catch bus 652.
Bus 675 commutes between Swieqi, Sliema, the Univesity and Mater Day Hospital.

Photo: Andrew Galea Debono