Malta Travel Guide

 
by CliffClaven
 
  •   Things to Do
    by CliffClaven
  •   Transportation
    by CliffClaven
  •   Things to Do
    by CliffClaven
  •   Transportation
    by CliffClaven
  •   Things to Do
    by CliffClaven
 

Explore Malta

Things to Do  

SMOM in the world

SMOM in the world, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  As a sovereign entity, the SMOM appoints representatives to many international organisations. It has Permanent Observer status at the United Nations and is often involved in the work of various UN agencies. The photograph shows the Order’s Permanent Observer to the United... 

Extraterritorial in Via Condotti

Extraterritorial in Via Condotti, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  After their expulsion from the Holy Land, the Knights of St John settled briefly in Cyprus before moving to Rhodes. When they lost the island after a lengthy Ottoman siege in 1523, they moved to Malta, where they stayed for nearly three centuries before being ousted by... 

His Most Eminent Highness

His Most Eminent Highness, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  His Most Eminent Highness Fra Andrew Bertie is the 78th Prince and Grand Master of the SMOM since the Order was founded just over 900 years ago. He was born in England, of aristocratic descent, in 1929. He served as an officer in the Scots Guards and subsequently taught... 

Palazzo di Malta

Palazzo di Malta, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  If you thought Monaco was small, wait until you see the Order of Malta’s territory in Rome. You can walk right round the outside of the building in Via Condotti in a couple of minutes. And in fact you might even walk right past the building without noticing it, especially if... 

900 years of history

900 years of history, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  The traditional date of the founding of the Order of the Knights of St John is 1099. According to the story, a group of merchants obtained permission from the Caliph of Egypt to build a church and hospital in Jerusalem to care for pilgrims of any faith or race. The monastic... 

Transportation  

Rare plate

Rare plate, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  It’s hard to find a rarer vehicle number plate than those of the SMOM in Rome. Of course, if you walk through the courtyard of the Palazzo di Malta, you may see two or three vehicles with SMOM plates. And if he’s not on one of his frequent courtesy calls to the Vatican or... 

Air Order of Malta

Air Order of Malta, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  No, there isn't an airline with that name. And they can't call it Air Malta since that is the national carrier of the island republic in the Mediterranean. The symbol of the Order has nevertheless appeared on many aircraft over the years. War, famine, humanitarian crisis:... 

Shopping  

Poste Magistrali - SMOM postal authority

Poste Magistrali - SMOM postal authority, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  Stamps are about the only thing you can buy at the Palazzo di Malta. The SMOM probably has the smallest postal service in the world. As far as old Cliffie could see, the whole system has only two boxes for posting mail. The Order’s post office, round the corner from the main... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Fly-by-knights

Fly-by-knights, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  There are neverending arguments about just how “sovereign” the SMOM is, and whether it can really claim to be a “country” when it has no territory apart from a couple of buildings in Rome. But there can be no arguing that the Order really does exist. What you have to be... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Helping the world

Helping the world, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  If you are in one of the world’s hotspots, you can be fairly certain to find the Order of Malta providing medical care and comfort. For many years the Order has been providing aid to Afghanistan, and in Kosovo at the end of the 1990s the Order established field hospitals to... 

Krak des Chevaliers

Krak des Chevaliers, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  Go back to the early days of the Knights of St John, and this is where you would certainly have met them. The Krak des Chevaliers is probably the most famous, and certainly the most impressive, crusader castle. The crusaders built fortresses and castles all over the lands... 

Favorites  

Malta, Latvia

Malta, Latvia, Malta

 CliffClaven Says:  And why is this page under Latvia? Well, old Cliffie didn't want to put it under the island republic in the Mediterranean. And there is a place called Malta in Latvia. And Latvia is the only one of the 25 Member States of the European Union which old Cliffie hasn't... 

The Place

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The People

 
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 There are neverending arguments about just how “sovereign” the SMOM is, and whether it can really claim to be a “country” when it has no territory apart from a... 

 

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Malta by Knight

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 It's not often you bump into a Prince and Grand Master. Old Cliffie was at the headquarters in Rome of the Order of Malta - or to give the Order its full title, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller... 

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