The journey by sea normally lasts no more than half an hour. Thirty minutes by ferry and the warm Mediterranean Sea separate Malta from its sister island Gozo. Standing on Malta’s tail in Cirkewwa, the large white Gozo ferry may be seen gliding between islands ferry­ing passengers. No road connects the islands, no bridge stretches across the blue sea, no hidden underwater tunnel links idyllic Gozo with Malta. Can this be a reason why Gozo is a desired destination by many?

When in holiday mode, boarding the ferry as early as possible to feel the fresh morning breeze is a good way to start the day. On a serene morning, the gleaming sea with its rhythmic movement beneath the ferry often has a calming effect on passengers. The cool revitalising sea breeze present on deck acts as a fresh wake up call brushing away any residue of sleep.

As the wide mouth of the ferry boat is forced shut, the journey begins. Passengers quickly scatter around the ferry in search of a comfortable corner. Some race off to the shady cafeteria for their morning dose of caffeine. Others prefer to be greeted by the morning air waiting on deck. The deck, a much fa­voured spot by most passengers opens up a window onto nature. Gazing down at the water as it is sliced by the ferry’s bow it is easy to get carried away wondering what mysteries are hidden in the depths.

Invisible to the naked eye, a very dif­ferent kind of life exists beneath the sea. Memories of the underwater world may easily flood the mind of the adventur­ous person who has tasted the thrill of diving. Yet, for others, the experience is simply made up of a set of images seen on interesting documentaries and breath­taking photographs.

As the distance between the ferry and Malta increases, an island with hardly any buildings or human inhabitants comes in sight. One glance at the clear aquamarine water confirms the ferry’s proximity to the island of Comino and its secluded Blue Lagoon. Imagine being cut off from the rest of the world, living on an island that has a lagoon with crystal clear water. What would being alone feel like? To be oblivious of all the trouble going on in the world… would you feel free from worries and live day by day?

Perhaps it is tempting to want to be away on that island. Perhaps a passenger on the ferry would readily trade all possessions to be cut off from it all. So many thoughts haunt the ferry boat as the passengers drift away in that lagoon, but as Gozo harbour becomes more vis­ible, it is time to come back to reality. Reality for some means returning back home to Gozo after carrying out work in Malta. For others it triggers the start of a new work day to be spent in Gozo. The student, who for study purposes lives in Malta during the week, sees the ferry as a connection between the second place called home and his roots. For a number of passengers, the ferry is a symbol of temporary freedom from routine, an escape from regular daily chores and responsibilities – the start of a much anticipated break.

As Mgarr harbour in Gozo welcomes the arrival of the ferry, the journey draws to an end. Passengers leave the boat car­rying the baggage that accompanies them in a lifelong journey. One person different from the other, all unique through specific features, characteristics and experiences, yet, all gathered together to reach the same destination. As all passengers descend, others take their place. New pas­sengers, new experiences, new thoughts… The ferry starts another journey.

In many of the established wine producing countries it is easy to join a tour or follow a wine route to find out about the locally produced wines and perhaps try some of them. What about Malta? Are there any organised wine tasting tours? Or is there a wine route?

Although wine production in Malta dates back over two thousand years from around the Roman era, it wasn’t until the 1970s that wine production became more serious and international grape varieties started to get planted. Today grape varieties grown on the Maltese islands include the two indigenous varieties Gellewza (red) and Ghirgentina (white), as well as international varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (or Shiraz), Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato and more.

The reputation of Maltese wines has not always been very positive and perhaps for good reasons. For example in fairly recent history Malta’s strategically important position in the Mediterranean made agriculture focus on self sufficiency in food supply and the majority of the grape varieties that were grown were table grapes. Hence, only grapes that did not get consumed ended up being crushed, fermented and made into wine.

Also, before Malta’s entry into the European Union there was a levy on imported wines to “protect” the Maltese wine industry. Since the levy was lifted Maltese wines have had to start competing against wines from all over the world and this has in turn forced a movement towards higher quality in wines. There are now a number of really good wines made in Malta with some having received international recognition and awards. Currently the demand for Maltese wines outstrips the supply and some of the wineries resort to using imported grapes, mainly from Sicily and mainland Italy for some of their labels.

More and more people who travel on holiday don’t want just sun and sea, but like to experience the local culture. One way to find out more about wine and perhaps even food is to follow a wine route or visit a few wineries.

Some of the large tour operators organise wine tasting tours for their guests, so if you are travelling to Malta on a package tour you may be lucky and be able to sign up for a wine tasting trip as an excursion. If you are travelling independently, either alone or in a small group, visits need to be arranged by appointment with the wineries.

I have visited the major wineries in Malta to find out what is currently available here. There are five major wine producers:  Emmanuel Delicata, Marsovin, Camilleri Wines, Montekristo and Meridiana, all of whom offer some form of wine tasting or cellar tour. If you are a real enthusiast why not make a day or two of it?

At Malta’s oldest wine producer, Emmanuel Delicata, tours can be arranged by appointment for groups of twelve people or more. Tours can be customized but normally cover a historic overview of wine production at this wine producer, which was established in 1907. Then there may be a cellar tour and a wine tasting in the historic tasting vaults, which are located underground at their site at Paola Waterfront. A number of Emmanuel Delicata’s wines are entered in international wine competitions every year and many win awards. For example this year their Grand Cavalier Chardonnay 2006 won a bronze medal in the “Chardonnay du Monde” competition in Burgundy.

If you do not visit the winery, another chance to taste Delicata’s range of wines would be to visit the four day Wine Festival in Valletta (7 – 10 August 2008) or in Nadur, Gozo (22 – 24 August 2008), organized by Delicata. A few roads away from Emmanuel Delicata, just off Paola Hill, is Marsovin, which was established in 1919. Here the tour starts off with a historic introduction and an explanation of the wine making process. Visitors are then guided through to the cellars, where the red wines are maturing in over 200 French and American oak barriques. Also in these cellars, “Cassar de Malte”, the sparkling wine of Malta, is made using the same method as Champagne – Methode Traditionelle. Guests will then be taken to the tasting area to sample a selection of Marsovin’s wines served with a variety of finger foods. There is also a shop where Marsovin’s wines can be purchased.

In Hal Farrug, in the limits of Siggiewi, and not too far from Luqa airport, is one of Malta’s newest wineries  – Montekristo Estate. The centre piece of this 20 acre country estate is the “Chateau”, which is surrounded by a newly equipped winery and vineyards. Underground there are large purpose built vaults and the wine storage areas are temperature and humidity controlled. The site is currently under construction and not fully open, but there are banqueting and conference areas which are available to hire. Once fully open (planned for October 2008), Montekristo are aiming to provide winery tours and tastings at this beautiful location.

Further inland in the town of Naxxar is the young and dynamic Camilleri Wines (part of master group). The company started in 2000 and their first wine made of Maltese grapes was launched in 2004. Camilleri Wines now produce twenty one wines under seven different labels. Adjacent to their winery in Naxxar is Master Cellars, the retail store of master group, where Camilleri wines are available together with a large range of international wine and spirits. Tutored wine tastings for small groups can be arranged and are normally held in the custom made tasting area within the shop. If you come for a tasting here perhaps you can get a chance to taste Malta’s only Viognier, from the Palatino range. For larger groups other venues can be arranged, as well as a visit to one of their managed vineyards.

A short drive from Naxxar towards the national stadium in Ta’ Qali is Meridiana Wine Estate. The purpose built limestone winery and administration building is surrounded by Meridiana’s vineyards. Tours and tastings are normally conducted by Meridiana’s enthusiastic wine maker Roger Aquilliera. The visitor to Meridiana will first be given a talk about the history of the company followed by a tour of the winery. Then, there will be a tutored tasting of a few of the hand crafted wines. accompanied by nibbles. For larger groups the picturesque inner court can be hired for wine tastings or other events. At Meridiana there is a real passion about Maltese wines and their mission is to produce “World class wines of Maltese character”. This is perfectly reflected in the wines produced at this boutique style winery.

In conclusion, to take a closer look at the Maltese wine industry you will have to rely on your organisational skills to make up your own wine tasting tour, as there is not an official “wine route”. However, at the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) they have identified a need to provide information to the independent traveller in a project they call Relational Tourism. They are hoping to have an area within the ITS website up and running by the summer of 2008 where wine and viticulture has been identified as one of six areas of cultural interest. All the Maltese wine producers have been involved and welcome the project, and as Dr Albert Caruana, General Manager of Monekristo Estate, puts it: “If we all work together everyone would reap the benefits – locals, tourists and visitors, and all the Maltese producers.”

One advantage with Malta being a small country is that it is a relatively short journey between the wineries and vineyards and a couple of visits could easily be fitted in during the course of a day. Maybe plan to stop for lunch in between?

Margareta Zaveri is the founder of the online guide to where and what to eat and drink in Malta: http://www.maltafoodandwine.com

Some secrets are exciting, filling your heart and your mind with a feel-good factor and with curiosity. And when the secret is a melting-pot of cultures and peoples, words and wisdom,  history and tradition, you just have to kiss and tell. Indeed, this is the driving force behind the campaign launched by the Malta Tourism Authority in its new vision for promoting Malta overseas.

“The Mediterranean’s best-kept secret” is not just a slogan. It is not just the truth, either, but a combination of both that is set to create a new awareness of our Jewel in the Mediterranean island nation.

There is synergy from different factors flowing seamlessly together to create a perfect blend of savvy, bling, and the necessary customer care that will gear the whole package towards a steady rise in the number of tourist arrivals not merely in high season, but throughout the whole year.

Malta is not just sun, sea and sand. It is history and culture, a unique Navel of the World where one finds both the oldest free-standing monuments on the planet, but also the newest, sharpest, arts and culture. In between these two extremes lies the rich heritage we have inherited and made ours throughout the centuries.

Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 B.C. when the Neolithic culture was at its zenith. The people and the cultural period of the Stone Age which began around 10,000 BC, left behind them Megalithic structures and polished stone implements.

Our pre-historic megalithic, literally meaning ‘large stones’: structures actually predate the Giza pyramids by a millennium. The builders of Malta’s megalithic structures. the oldest free-standing constructions in the world, managed to do this by quarrying and hewing mega-tonne blocks of Globigerina limestone and jig-sawed them together in perfect alignment with the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This they did without having any knowledge about the wheel. and without metal tools or even materials such as obsidian or flint

Subsequently, Malta became a colony of the Phoenicians. the ancient maritime country of southwest Asia, which nowadays covers most of modern Syria and Lebanon. These people gave us its alphabet, which was based on symbols for sounds rather than Egyptian-style hieroglyphics or Sumerian and Persian cuneiform.

The Romans overcame Carthage at the end of the Third Punic war, and colonised Malta. We became a self-governing Municipium, the second highest class of Ancient  Roman cities, inferior in status only to the Colonia, and a Foederata Civitas. Malta even has the ultimate accolade of being mentioned in the Bible because during this period, Paul of Tarsus was shipwrecked here, in AD60.

Between the 4th and 9th century, Malta was part of the Byzantium Empire. Malta was subjugated by the Arabs in AD 879 after being sacked by the Vandals. The Arabs introduced cotton, a staple commodity at the time, and also citrus fruits. They set up irrigation systems and influenced our vernacular. which has both Romance and Semitic roots.

From 1091, there followed a succession of rulers – the Normans, the Angevins, the Hohenstaufens, and the Aragonese. These established Maltese nobility, with some titles that are still extant today. In fact, the oldest traceable title is ‘Barons of Djar Il-Bnlet and Buqana‘.

A tiny island nation with big plans, Malta joined the EU in May 2004 and is taking ambitious steps to consolidate its traditional position as a bridge between North and South.

Size isn’t everything

Malta may be small, but size hasn’t diluted this tiny Mediterranean island’s ambitions. One of the ten countries that joined the European Union in May 2004, Malta is determined to make the most of its new status as an EU member, and has been aggressive in formulating and implementing legislative and regulatory systems to encourage investment and growth in key target sectors and leverage maximum advantage from its unique position as a stepping stone between Europe and North Africa.

As a result, the island’s traditional reputation as a sun and sea destination for holidaymakers is changing rapidly as Malta pursues its redefined role within the world business community. Recognising the intrinsic value of its geographic location, its highly skilled, multi-lingual, flexible workforce, Malta is a tiny island state with a formidable determination to succeed on the world stage.

Mediterranean island nation

Just over 100 square miles in area, the Maltese islands, comprising Malta, Gozo and Comino, lie midway between Europe and North Africa, 60 miles south of Sicily and 120 miles north of Libya. Malta’s 390,000 inhabitants are among the most international of peoples. With a 7000-year history that has seen a succession of foreign conquerors ruling the island until 1964, when Malta gained Independence from Britain after 160 years, the islanders have acquired a unique ability to adapt to new ideas and adopt, and improve, the best of them to their ultimate advantage.

Creating an economy

In the four decades since Independence, Malta’s leaders have laid the foundations for a sustainable economy based on tourism, industry and services. Apart from the natural beauty of the islands, with their golden limestone, crystal clear sea and charming rural landscape, Malta has no natural resources bar its people. And, while from the mid-Sixties to the mid-Eighties, Malta sold itself as a manufacturing base for products like textiles and electronics, using low wages and plentiful supply of labour as its main selling point, by the end of the Eighties it was recognised that educating the workforce to include highly qualified professionals would attract higher value added products and services to the island.

Today, Malta still has a heavy reliance on tourism, which contributes 25 percent of GDP, and continues to perform well as the relatively new CIT sector (Conference and Incentive Travel) takes over as one of the most lucrative elements within the Maltese tourism industry. Similarly, the island has been very successful in diversifying other areas of its economy, and new industry sectors like iGaming, ICT, Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals, particularly the generics industry, are joining the traditional economic generators and creating a solid base of diverse operations from which Malta expects to compete at international level. Attracting foreign direct investment to the islands remains a priority for the government; however the focus now is towards higher value activities and services that utilise the excellent, state-of-­the-art IT and telecoms infrastructure, highly skilled, English-speaking human resources and strategic potential of the island.

Malta and EU membership

Two years after Malta’s accession to the European Union, in May 2004, this historic move is seen by many in the business community as an opportunity to penetrate the world’s largest market of over 400 million people. The process of adapting all legislation and regulation to comply with the EU’s Aqcuis Communautaire has given Malta a solid base upon which to conduct business and facilitate investment, and Maltese-based companies now also benefit from the EU’s previously inaccessible free trade agreements with non-member countries, and are eligible to participate in EU projects and programmes aimed at promoting business and expanding trade opportunities between the EU and the rest of the world.

Not yet part of the Euro-zone, Malta’s objective is to adopt the Euro on January 1 2008. While this depends on the achievement of the Maaastricht criteria, which requires Malta to bring down its structural deficit to below 3%, national debt to below 60% of GDP, and unemployment and inflation levels in line with the EU average, government’s ‘determination in this regard appears to be paying off, with European Commission analysis placing the structm:al deficit at end 2005 at 3.9% and estimating that, providing current efforts are sustained, the island will be able to reduce its structural deficit to under the 3% mark this year.

Malta’s commitment to the adoption of the Euro in 2008, backed by its efforts in terms of achieving the Maastricht criteria, is a key element in Malta’s attractiveness to investors, and while membership of the EU may be seen by some to have brought a mixed bag of blessings to the islands, adoption of the Euro on January 1 2008 will be instrumental in determining the country’s future economic performance.

Generic pharmaceuticals

Malta is fast becoming recognised as a particularly attractive centre for the generic pharmaceuticals industry, and the islands’ favourable legal environment for generics producers has attracted a number of leading international names to migrate to Malta.

Including Activis, Arrow Pharmaceutical Group, Siegfried Holdings and Combino Pharm, all of whom were attracted by the Maltese patent law that allows firms to experiment on patented drugs before the patent expires, a provision known as the Bolar Exemption. This trend is expected to continue over the next ten years at least, with the industry being encouraged through the creation of a suitable infrastructure, to expand further and make itself viable and self-sustainable in the long term.

Software development and E-business

Encouraged by government initiatives and the state-of-the-art telecoms infrastructure, Malta offers one of the most progressive environments in the world for IT, iGaming and e-Business activities. Investment in this area’is increasing at a rapid pace and the announcement by Malta’s government in February that the developers of the renowned Dubai Internet City, Tecom Investments, are to spend US$300 million to set up SmartCity@Malta, an IT village that is planned to open in 2008, was something of a triumph for island, which faced stiff competition from various other countries for the project. As the largest foreign direct investment project the island has ever seen, the expectation is that SmartCity will become the European outpost for global ICT or media companies that want to establish a presence in Europe, as well as North Africa.

This fits in well with Malta’s aspirations in the ITC sector. Currently ranked 27th in the world in its potential for IT development by the World Economic Forum, Microsoft, Cisco, and Oracle have all established a significant presence on the island with the aim of using Malta as a research and development testing ground for e-government solutions. The first companies to take advantage of what Malta offers were the offshore betting and gaming companies, of which over 140 have already established a presence on the island, and Malta has now set its sights on attracting business such as disaster recovery, data processing, software development, data storage, payment gateways, database management, supply chain management centres and a variety of related services.

A groundbreaking sponsorship deal will mean that the prestigious football club Sheffield United, also known as ‘The Blades’ will be backed by a country for at least two seasons (2008-2009 and 2009-2010). That country is Malta.

During a press launch organised at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane stadium, details of the club’s new sponsorship deal with the Malta Tourism Authority were announced by top club officials as well as by the Malta Tourism Authority’s Director, UK, Chris Fenech.

This is the first time that Malta, as a tourism destination, has become the main sponsor of a prestigious football club. Commenting on the sponsorship deal, MTA chairman Sam Mifsud said that: ”We are very pleased that this deal has come through to everyone’s satisfaction. Sheffield United is, historically, a very important club that enjoys a considerable, loyal following. If last season was anything to go by, the club’s prospects for the future are also very bright indeed. This sponsorship deal means that Malta’s exposure in the region will increase immensely, as will our country’s visibility increase exponentially on nationwide as well as on regional television whenever Sheffield United games are reported or broadcast Iive. The UK is our strongest source market, and we are certain that through this sponsorship agreement destination Malta stands to make considerable new inroads in Britain. This is also another example of how the MTA is employing new and innovative marketing tactics in order to continue to enhance destination Malta in our core markets.” Although the value of the agreement remains undisclosed, the media exposure value for Malta reputedly runs into millions of pounds Sterling.

The sponsorship agreement also includes important Corporate Social Responsibility clauses as well as, amongst others, assistance in the setting up of a football academy in Malta. This sponsorship deal includes many benefits for Malta and for promoting destination Malta, including The Blades wearing the visitMalta.com logo on their playing strip as well as appearing in up to ten live Championship games throughout the season screened on Sky Sports. The airtime per game is 90 minutes plus 30 minutes pre-game and 15 minutes post-game in which the stadium, branded with visitMalta.com, and backdrops for interviews, also branded, will feature prominently. This excludes any cup games which could range from 1-6 per annum depending on Sheffield’s progress. The value of this airtime alone can be set at approximately £1 – £1.5 million.

In addition to this, on a weekly basis (Saturday night and Sunday morning), Sheffield United will feature in the Championship highlights programme which is shown on various stations. This will guarantee television exposure even on weekends when Sheffield United are not screened live.

Apart from the whole interior of the stadium being branded with visitMalta.com, the MTA will also have: one of the four stands named the ‘Malta Family Stands’; the main hospitality suite re-branded ’The Malta Suite’; six l8ft x 2ft adverts around the stadium; a number of 30 second adverts on the Electronic Scoreboard per home game; and Visitmalta banners to feature on club website for the duration of the contract as well as inclusion in newsletter.

Blades chairman Kevin McCabe, who was instrumental in sealing the deal, said: ”The Malta Tourism Authority was impressed by our growing international presence which stretches into Hungary, China and Australia. The Malta Tourism Authority sees the significance of the marketing opportunities with those countries and recognises the need to further underpin the strong links with the UK to promote the island. They were impressed with the work we have done with our academy at Shirecliffe and how we have delivered an effective community programme targeting youngsters across the Sheffield city region. They want to replicate this in Malta and have brought us on board to help. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone connected with the Blades in the UK and abroad,” added Mr McCabe.

The Malta Tourism Authority’s Director, UK, Chris Fenech commented: “The Malta Tourism Authority is delighted to enter into this partnership with Sheffield United FC. We believe that the collaboration between the two parties, which will stretch to beyond the simple footballing aspects, will be of benefit to all. Apart from associating Malta with one of the most historic clubs in the football league, this partnership will enable the Malta Tourism Authority to help at a social level, an aspect which we value highly. It is our intention to carry out elements of Corporate Social Responsibility both in the Sheffield community and neighbouring areas as well as supporting Sheffield United in their future ventures undertaken on the Maltese Islands.”

Sheffield United also recently welcomed the current Maltese international goalkeeper Justin Haber to the club, thus further enhancing the club’s Malta connection. Haber had a trial at Sheffield United two years ago and is making a big impression on officials at the Club who have been following his progress since.

Malta’s generally mild climate makes it possible for you and your young ones to enjoy a range of outdoor activities to suit everybody’s tastes, all year round. Malta’s sandy beaches, such as those of Mellieha, Golden Sands and Armier in Malta, and Ramla l-­Hamra in Gozo, are a natural favourite with children of all ages, where one can also hire pedallos and canoes, or even go on boat rides. The rocky bays, coves and inlets around the islands enable the older ones to explore the marvels of scuba diving in Malta. It is generally advisable that visiting families swim in areas where they see other local bathers swimming, as these would normally be aware of the presence of any underwater currents, the occasional jellyfish etc. Having said that, Maltese waters are among the cleanest and safest in the Mediterranean. So put on your sun protection cream and enjoy!

Explore the island’s countryside and discover stunning landscapes on walking or cycling expeditions. Don’t miss a visit to Dingli Cliffs in Malta and Dwejra in Gozo, with its Azure Window and Inland Sea, which are probably the islands’ two most impressive natural wonders. Malta and Gozo are also an outdoor museum in themselves, and children will undoubtedly enjoy exploring the narrow winding streets of the ancient capital, Mdina, as well as the hilltop Citadel in Gozo, both having breathtaking views from their battlements.

A number of attractions bring the Maltese islands’ chequered history to life. These include the Malta Experience Audiovisual Show and the Great Siege attraction in Valletta, as well as the Mdina Dungeons. Historical military re-enactments are also great crowd-pullers. Victorian military re-enactments are held during weekends in Fort Rinella. The Fort also houses the world’s largest cannon, the awe-inspiring 100-ton gun. Another family favourite are the re-enactments dating back to the time of the Knights of Malta and the Napoleonic period, held on specific Sundays at Fort St. Elmo. The Limestone Heritage attraction, on the other hand, provides a unique insight into the way Maltese stone has shaped life on these islands. A visit to the Ta’ Qali Crafts Village, where children are sometimes invited to experience craft-making first hand, should aIso form part of any visiting family’s itinerary.

Close contact with animals is something no kid can resist. The LWS Animal Park in Marsascala is home to more than 20 animal species and there is often the unique opportunity to actually feed the animals. The Mediterraneo Marine Park, situated at White Rocks, on the other hand, allows both children and adults to understand and appreciate the animal world and its inhabitants through fun activities. Meanwhile, at the recently opened Aquamarine Centre, Fort San Lucian, in Marsaxlokk, the children will get a close-up view of some rare specimen of marine life.

Popeye Village, the film set of the 1980 musical production starring Robin Williams and located in Mellieha, is a popular destination for families for its mixture of animation shows, a range of pools for children and its hosting the Santa’s Toy town attraction. The renowned global toy-maker Playmobil has also set a state-of-the-art fun park, located at Hal Far, packed with themed activities which encourage children to be creative and explore life experiences. And for some water-base  fun for all the family, visit the Splash & FUI Park at White Rocks, which boasts the highest (and longest water chutes in this part of the Mediterranean! There is also a dinosaur theme park which ensures great fun for all the kids and even the young at heart.

A range of options are available for families as far as dining out is concerned. The great majority of restaurants welcome children and the variety of cuisines means that there is something to suit everybody’s taste. Pizza and pasta houses are particular favourites with families, however, many visitors find out that it is well worth giving traditional Maltese fare a try! And if your young ones miss their fast-food favourites, the major chains are well represented here as well.

Once a refuge for fugitives, hermits and pirates, Comino is a paradise that is best kept lost.

In much the same way that saying Africa is hot or Italy is nice smacks of a simplistic, limited vocabulary, so the name Blue Lagoon does not do Comlno any justice because, first of all, it is not blue. Rather, the water is a deep, dizzyingly dazzling, rich turquoise, iridescent even in the face-numbing, nose-watering cold of winter. Secondly, it is not a lagoon; it is a paradise which no artist’s imagination or palette could ever match.

As soon as it seems that the boat, thumping on the solid waves, will soon take flight, and when my face is about to be shaved off by the whoosh of freezing spray, we go around San Niklaw and Salvu kills the engine. The boat bubbles in resignation then simmers on the cove’s calm waters, so calm, in fact, that I manage to read the sign on the boat’s sides. ‘Driven by Venewwa’; it says. Then Salvu busies himself with a remote control and on the shore, a light flashes and a small engine whizzes to life and runs down the boat slip with the boat trailer in tow. As it proceeds to pull the boat out of the water, Salvu beams at his clever invention.

On Comino, which was named after the cumin herb that was once grown here, necessity is the mother of invention. In summer, tanned bodies throng the beaches and laze around the 3.5 square kilometres of Comino and its romantically named natba s-Sewda and Tant il-Mazz. In winter, however, the Comino Hotel pulls down its shutters and tourists go back to their daily grind, leaving Comino in the hands of its four permanent residents: SalvuVella, his brother Angelo, their aunt Maria Said and cousin Evangelista, better known by everyone as Veggie.

Their only human company comes in the form of the two policemen down at the police station, which was originally built as a watch-post in 1743. During the weekend and on feasts, Dun Karm Xerri comes over from Gozo to bring them necessities and celebrate mass in a small, white-washed chapel dedicated to the Return of Our Lady from Egypt. No one agrees on when the chapel was built, but a 12th century navigational map at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich shows a chapel where the present one stands.

“Dun Karm is an angel;’ Salvu tells me as he drives towards the Santa Marija Battery. The silence is deafening, and is only disturbed by the occasional explosion of fluttering wings as a flock of pheasants, which Salvu raised and then set free in the wild, fly by. “Here, we have no shops and whenever I go to Gozo or Malta, I stock up on everything;’ Salvu continues. “I have friends on the mainland who source everything I need. Dun Karm also helps us no end. He has been coming here for the past forty years. He is old now, but he still sees to our needs. He even used to teach me when I was young. We had a local school on Comino, but it shut down in 1968.I was the last student there. I still remember herding sheep before and after school”

After a five-minute drive, we arrive at the Santa Marija Battery. Now restored, the battery was built in 1715 and equipped with two 24-pounder and four six-pounder cannons. Its semi-circular shape was planned so that the guns would cover most of the South Comino Channel and prevent disembarkation of enemy fleets. We walk around as Salvu continues with his family’s history. “I was born in St.Paul’sBay but have been living here ever since Salvu says. “My father, a farmer, was originally from Mellieha and moved to Comino for work, as did my maternal grandfather. It was here that my parents met. “At the time, there was a small community, growing cumin, tomatoes, cauliflower, onions and potatoes. By the time I was born, most had already left and there were only about six families left, two of them from Sicily. These were the first to start growing tadam tal-qasab, which are tomatoes grown on a wicker tripod:’

Then we start moving towards Santa Marija Tower, passing by the cemetery and isolation hospital built by the British. In 1416, the Maltese petitioned the Aragonese king, Alphonse V to build a tower on Comino, which would serve as a deterrent to the pirates who frequently hid on Comino to ambush ships crossing between Malta and Gozo. The Tower was finally completed by the Knights of Malta, who used Comino as a hunting ground for wild boar and hares. The Tower, financed by Grand Master Wignacourt and from the sale of brushwood from the island, was finished in 1618 and formed part of the defence system of coastal towers that linked the Cittadella in Gozo to Mdina. Throughout the 17th century, the Tower also served as a prison for some fifty Maltese suspected of spying for the French.

Recently restored by Din l-Art and sponsored by the Malta Maritime Authority, Santa Maria Tower stands twelve metres high on an eight-metre plinth. Eighty metres above sea level and surrounded by a thick rubble wall, the Tower rises imperiously from the garigue, fragrant with wild thyme. Its six-metre thick walls defy strong winds and time. Below it, the sea thunders against the plunging cliffs and seagulls paraglide lazily to fold their wings and find an impossible balance on precarious edges.

“Apart from Anglu, all my brothers and sisters left long ago:” says Salvu. “Some emigrated while others settled down in Malta. Being the youngest, I could see their lives and plans unfold, and I could make an informed decision. Eventually, I decided to stay.” Salvu looks around, and continues.”Here, nature and the seasons regulate my body and mind. I feel alive and I have precious freedom. I would be mad to ever leave:”

It is cold, but spring is in the air. And I understand Salvu, this man who is an island, because as the sun occasionally blushes the cliffs or a patch of land, I feel like getting marooned here, and left unrescued for the rest of my living years.

There is a worldwide misconception that ‘clubbing’ means going down to the nearest grotty disco on a Saturday night, getting blind drunk, or taking drugs while listening to weird music and playing a part in the weekly local cattle market. This type of establishment may be called a nightclub, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it hosts quality clubbing events. The promoters of a ‘club night’ can take weeks and sometimes months of planning, investing, negotiating and marketing for an event. Similar to putting on a concert, this is a properly organised evening and large, sometimes vast, amounts of money have been spent on visual imagery, crystal clear surround sound systems, light and laser shows and world famous DJs. Like very concert, opera or festival, every club night is special in its own way.

Good honest people with a love of dancing got rapidly bored of the dodgy, dark underground clubs that were rife in the nineties, with illegal substances in every corner and rude, obnoxious security to boot. This forced the industry to clean itself up rapidly and fast-evolving self-regulation is making a clubber’s experience safer all the time.

The head of one of the top security firms in Malta, Joseph Attard, from Euro Security, tells us “I train my staff to spot potential conflicts and to avoid violence erupting in the first place. Polite and friendly security staff control and nip in the bud any potential volatile behaviour in an organised and polite fashion, whilst keeping arguments inconspicuous of other revellers.”

DJ Ruby, one of Malta’s leading DJ’s: “The clubbing scene has changed dramatically in Malta over the past five years. Whereas before all we needed was a sound system and a bar, today we try to emulate, and in some cases better, what European clubbers are experiencing in Ibiza. As a nation, we are very capable of organising such events, and if it has my name on it, then I do not deem it right to offer anything less than a perfect night out for our clubbers.”

Though we might be just a little speck on any map, Malta can hold its own in this field more ways than one. Every year, most of the top 50 DJ’s worldwide will play at an event in Malta at least once. Greats like Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold and Tiesto have all passed through, often returning a second time, such is the positive vibe of the local scene.

It’s still early days for our dance music producers, through some of their material is already being appreciated and played by the world top DJ’s. We have several local DJ’s who are now being invited to play abroad at larger and better paid events. No doubt we’ll have one in the top 100 before long, but the crème de la crème of the Maltese clubbing industry are the clubbers themselves. A whopping 12,000 people hit the clubs on a weekend in Malta. That’s more than three per cent of our population while the United Kingdom only achieves half of that and it’s considered to be a key player on the clubbing world stage.

We’re pretty darn good it, yet Malta is practically unknown as a clubbing destination. One of our rival Mediterranean tourist destinations, Ibiza, was an unknown destination too and indeed Malta was considered to be ahead of Ibiza in the clubbing scene until the late eighties. Since 1990 Ibiza has established itself as the clubbing capital of the world. Clubbers contribute to more than half of Ibiza’s annual tourist expenditure which last year topped 800 million Euro. South Africa is the most recent tourist destination that has embarked on a radical scheme to promote the clubbing industry and all the big industry promoters will be taking high-spend tourists there this year.

Malta is obviously better positioned geographically to attract this tourism. With a warm climate and plenty of fantastic outdoor venues such as Numero Uno, Gianpula , Buskett Roadhouse, Grotta (in Gozo), Malta easily offers a wealth of clubbing events that can hold their own in the international scene.