The place is Malta, and if it sounds good then book passage on the Grimaldi Ferries “Malta Express” that sails from Salerno every Thursday. One can stay a week, or if your collecting countries, three days, returning to Salerno on Saturday after a Friday of sightseeing and shopping.

But your mini-vacation starts topside as George the bartender  prepares a refreshing drink to begin the nineteen hour voyage that begins at noon and arrives in the Port of Valetta, Malta at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning.  “The Love Boat it ain’t,” opines George, as he checks his supplies. It is what is known in the trade as a Ro-Ro (roll on-roll off), carrying truck trailers with cargo for Malta and other Mediterranean ports. It has passenger accommodations that are spare, but comfortable. There is a TV in the lounge along with the ubiquitous slot machines. Deck chairs for taking the good sea air, and sort of a promenade for those wishing to get some exercise. 

You are served three meals a day in a spotless dining room hosted by a kitchen staff of Filipino nationals. The crew is in fact international in character, crewed by Bulgarian officers, with a sprinkling of Italians.  As he mixes your drink George explains that there are twenty eight members in the crew who rotate on a nine month on, three month off cycle. 

A blast on the horn signals our departure for Malta on one of those crystalline blue days that Italy is famous for. Although a slight haze is already forming along the shoreline heralding a warm day in the Italian sun, a cooling breeze greets one on deck. The scenery of the coast is spectacular. At dusk one passes the massive presence of Stromboli, and as night falls the lights along the Straits of Messina appear on the horizon and the call for the evening meal is made. It is served “family style”, and it is difficult not to make new friends as the ship makes its way through the straits to the open sea.

It is not hard to fall asleep with the rock-a-bye motion of the boat through the smooth waters, and the light of morning finds one entering the habor of Valetta, intrigued by the massive walls that have often repelled, but have also fallen prey to raiding corsairs. With an on time arrival we have a full day to visit the island’s capital and chief city. The trip through customs is quick and courteous as the primary source of income for Malta is tourism. 

The most obvious aspect of Malta are its fortifications. They were mainly built by the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem (better known as the Knights of Malta)who were originally established to aid the wounded during the Crusades.  Later they adopted a more military bent. First on Rhodes, copying the piratical methods of the Corsairs; then on Malta at the beginning eleventh century, where they prospered, taking control and gaining  sovereignty in 1530. The Knights of Malta ruled until the close of the eighteenth century when the British made Malta a colony which was granted independence shortly after the end of World War II.
 Any tour of the island must include a visit to the churches of Saints’ Battista and Barbara to view the paintings of Mattia Preti, also known as the Cavalier of Calabria because he was as good with the sword as he was with the brush. Legend has it that between Rome and Malta, with a brief stop in Naples, he dispatched more than a dozen who roused his ire. At Valetta at the age of eighty he died of a blood infection after a bad shave from his barber.

St. Paul (of the Road to Damascus fame) was shipwrecked here on his way to Rome. After spending a few months to convert the inhabitants he continued his journey. A small stone chapel commemorates the point of his arrival. It is a short distance from Valetta, easily reached by public transportation. It should be visited for it is one of the confirmed, verified historical facts concerning the travels of St. Paul around the Mediterrean. For such a small country Malta has had an awful lot of history.
However, a visit to the market stalls of Valetta will occupy the visitor for hours, so it is best to see those historical vistas before joining the throngs that clog the streets. There are real bargains here, and one is expected to haggle over the price. It is almost an insult not to do so! There are fine examples of glass and ceramic art by local craftsman. Some of the work in gold and silver is worth a second look also.

Food is an important part of Maltese life and one must at least sample some of the local specialties. Being an island nation has made fish a staple of the diet, and is prepared in many tempting ways. if one is going to spend a week there are many fine establishments for evening dining, but since we are on a one day tour a late after noon lunch is more in order since the ship departs for Salerno at seven in the evening.

A quiet restaurant called Trattoria Parolaccia, tucked away at 137 Archbishop Street in Valetta, right around the corner from the Palace Building, was given a try. It did not disappoint. A nice touch was a visit from the kitchen of the chef to describe the specials of the day. The food was very good, the local wine serviceable, and the service impeccable.

Time left for a quiet walk back to the ship. From the prometory on which Valetta is sited one is offered a panorama of the harbor, the battlements, towers, and ramparts of the “Fortress Malta.” One passes through a park with formal gardens, and monuments dedicated to the brave men and women that defended their island home, successfully, in World War II.

Arriving back on board we were informed that there would be a delayed departure awaiting cargo being off-loaded from another ship. The “Malta Express” is a working vessel, and if one was to find fault this would be a point, but this offered an opportunity to meet with the ship’s master, Captain Zhivko Zhekov. He is only thirty-nine years of age but has already spent 17 of those years at sea. This is his third command.  He talked of the delay, which he said was beyond his control. He mentioned he had ordered the kitchen to prepare something special for dessert in a small gesture to make amends (it turned out to be strawberry shortcake). He said that Grimaldi Ferries was committed to making the journey aboard a pleasant experience for passengers and tourists. While the trip to Valencia in Spain carries some vacationers the one to Malta is more slanted to the tourist and schedules are adhered to a much as possible he added.

A few hours later, in the lounge, the crew that had gone off duty joined the passengers in the lounge for a nighcap. The sea had come up a bit, the Captain excused himself to visit the bridge, and the passengers began to filter back to their cabins.
 Most of this return journey would be made in darkness,but the morning light would bring the Italian coast into high relief off the starboard side. The sea had been a little unkind during the night, kicking up some swells that made the return a little uncomfortable, but with a full load the ship rode it pretty well. At about 4:00 o’clock the skyline of Salerno came into view (only two hours off schedule). Although the journey had been less than three days it seemed like a much longer, enjoyable, vacation. Malta is now in the bag of memories.