"Like all the best cities in the world from our 2025 Readers' Choice Awards , Valletta is an eccentric-a rambling, shabby-chic jumble of cultures and influences; a sun-blessed Mediterranean stepping stone that wears its history on its sleeve and has the uncanny ability to time-travel visitors back to earlier epochs. A Swift-style Eras Tour of Valletta would necessarily feature the trumpet-toting janissary troops of the Ottoman Empire,"
"V is for Valletta. Or there's the Romantic era of Coleridge and Byron, who found their way here in the early 19th century, the latter grumbling about its never-ending steps; and the epaulettes of its role in World War II, when it held out against the odds-and the British period, which left behind red phone boxes and post boxes, and the daily blast of the ceremonial gun salute from Upper Barrakka Gardens."
"In between these, walk-on parts by tempestuous Renaissance artist Caravaggio, and by larger-than-life Oliver Reed, who met his demise in a pub that now acts as a shrine to the actor. Valletta had a starring role in both Gladiator movies, its golden limestone contours ever ready for their close-up, and has been the backdrop for many others. And while history pervades every pore, and faded 1920s shop signs dangle from every street,"
Valletta is a sun-blessed Mediterranean capital that fuses layers of history with contemporary energy. Ottoman janissaries besieged the city in the 16th century while the Knights of Malta defended it. Romantic poets Coleridge and Byron visited in the early 19th century, and the city played a role in World War II and later under British rule. Caravaggio and actor Oliver Reed left cultural imprints, and cinematic productions have used the city's golden limestone as a backdrop. Faded 1920s shop signs survive alongside a growing roster of stylish hotels and restaurants that transform island ingredients into refined dishes.
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