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Slide 1: MALTA PRESENTATION Task 5 SCHOOL NO 4 RADAUTI - ROMANIA
Slide 2: Holiday Ideas The Maltese Islands offer an exhilarating contrast of colours: the azure of the Mediterranean, the mellow honeycoloured limestone which characterises the architecture, and clear skies. The Islands are a feast for the senses. Everywhere you go, a unique historic sight awaits. Temples, palaces, cathedrals, and forts provide a living history you can almost touch. Sound plays an important part in the life of the Islands. The mix of fireworks and village band marches transforms a summer night into a special memory. The advantage of a stay on the Maltese Islands is that you can experience several holidays in one. Cuisine here is a taste of the Islands' multicultural heritage. Local restaurants offer a creative selection of tempting fare. After dinner, night clubs, wine bars and casinos beckon with their own brand of excitement. To experience all this, you won't have to travel far. Just a few hours flying time away from most European cities, the Islands are serviced by direct scheduled flights operated by the national carrier and major international airlines.
Slide 3: Culture & Heritage With 7,000 years of history, the Maltese Islands are steeped in culture and heritage. The Islands went through a golden Neolithic period, the remains of which are the mysterious megalithic temples dedicated to the goddess of fertility. Later on, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans and the Byzantines, all left their traces on the Islands. In 60 A.D. St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island while on his way to Rome and brought Christianity to Malta. The Arabs conquered the islands in 870 A.D. and left an important mark on the language of the Maltese. Until 1530 Malta was an extension of Sicily, the Normans, the Aragonese and other conquerors who ruled over Sicily also governed the Maltese Islands. It was Charles V who bequeathed Malta to the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem who ruled over Malta from 1530 to 1798. The Knights took Malta through a new golden age making it a key player in the cultural arena of 17th and 18th century Europe. The artistic and cultural lives of the islands were injected with the presence of artists such as Caravaggio, Mattia Preti and Favray (amongst many others) who were commissioned by the Knights to embellish churches, palaces and auberges. In 1798 Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt, took over Malta from the Knights. The French presence on the islands was short lived as the English, who were requested by the Maltese to help them against the French, blockaded the islands in 1800. British rule in Malta lasted until 1964 when Malta became independent. The Maltese adapted the British system of administration, education and legislation. Malta became a Republic in 1974 and a member state of the European Union in May 2004. This legacy, unique in the Mediterranean, is reflected in the country’s national architecture and collections. There are so many areas of heritage and culture to be explored – the 16th century masterpiece Grandmasters’ Palace, which is now parliament, the “Sacra Infermeria”, which is now a fully equipped conference centre, the St. James Centre for Creativity – a superbly restored fortification where contemporary works of art are exhibited against the original rough-textured walls and rediscovered spaces. With these buildings, past and present blend into an enduring and admirable lesson in the art of living. The arts have always played a large role in Maltese culture and continue to do so with cultural events occurring frequently. The National Museum of Fine Arts, housed in an exuberant Rococo building dating from the 1570’s, exhibits some magnificent art, ranging from the early Renaissance to modern times. Both present day established and budding artists are encouraged through support and exhibitions in public areas to celebrate their efforts. There is almost always an exhibition of some kind running. Theatre and music are also very popular in the Islands. A variety of theatres and open-air venues offer an enormous ensemble of plays, musicals, operas and both classical and modern music concerts.
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Slide 8: Dive Sites The three Islands that make up the Maltese Archipelago - Malta, the largest; Gozo, the mythical isle of Calypso; and tiny Comino, famous for its Blue Lagoon - form a very special diving site at the heart of the Mediterranean. The Islands invite you to discover their natural harbours, bays, sheltered creeks, cliffs, reefs and wrecks. The waters here are some of the most limpidand clear in the world. Visibility is excellent down to around 30 metres. So Malta is a dream destination for underwater photography. Marine life flourishes in a vibrant display of colours. With dive sites just a stone's throw away from each other, you will be able to explore a variety of underwater worlds. We've listed some 36 of the best known dive sites ranging from labyrinthine caves to reefs and wartime wrecks. For more excitement, try a night dive or dive deeper to 30 or 40 metres. Colours appear almost fluorescent by torchlight. For the more experienced, these dives offer a unique adventure
Slide 10: Enjoy the Nightlife Typical of the Mediterranean lifestyle, the Islanders’ approach to life is to enjoy and celebrate it as much as possible. Nightlife on the Islands is always bustling – even if the vibrant calendar of events is lean during some periods, there are always scores of clubs to visit, excellent wine bars and first-rate restaurants to try. The Islands have an effervescent calendar of cultural events to see, such as the Summer Malta Arts Festival, the Valletta Baroque Festival, the Opera Festival, the Choir Festival and the International Jazz Festival held in July. Major music concerts (Sting, Roger Waters, Sir Bob Geldof, Elton John) are held all summer long by individual organisers, attracting massive crowds of both tourists and locals alike. The Maltese Islands have also become a hub for the clubbing scene. Internationally renowned DJs appear (Paul Oakenfold, Erick Morillo, Magda, Tiesto, Van Heill) for guest weekends throughout the year. This scene thrives all year round and is an all-week affair in a variety of venues, from large clubs to quieter bars where some excellent house DJs entertain and the admission is free. The main nightlife clubbing action is in Paceville, on the coast near St. Julians, where the clubs and bars are in abundance. Classical music is very popular on the Islands and organ recitals take place regularly in Baroque churches. Regular orchestral, soloist concerts and operas take place in some stunning historic venues. Band music is one of the most popular traditions on the Islands. Every town and village has at least one band club. Band music is taken seriously on the Islands and the highlight of the year for band clubs is the parish festa. Very unique to the Islands are the lively summer village parish festas. Saints, fireworks, food and fun are all part of this cultural phenomenon – try and catch one as they’re not to be missed. Theatre is a lively and well-represented part of the local cultural scene. The Baroque 18th century National Theatre makes a wonderful venue for the performing arts. The open-air Shakespeare performed in the Baroque Gardens of San Anton Palace in July is one of the many theatrical highlights. For some fun and great kids’ entertainment, try the Christmas Pantomime. There is a variety of other sources of nightlife entertainment – try your luck at the casinos, go see a film (blockbuster movies, art house films, re-releases and non-English language films) or do as the Maltese and dine al fresco at one of the romantic palazzos or bustling harbour restaurants
Slide 12: Mediterrenean Cookery Basically perishable and precarious, cookery is paradoxically the most enduring type of art. It is rooted in culture and history, thus representing a fundamental part of our civilisation. Environmentally-affected eating habits are deeply settled in populations and, particularly in the Mediterranean region, they date back to the dawn of time. For ages countless populations inhabited the Mediterranean shores; very different from each other in terms of culture and of ethnic belonging. The environment provided them with its resources, similarly the same all along the Mediterranean shores, affecting the blossoming of their civilisations. A centuries-long experience of trades and commerce enabled the sharing and the dissemination of the different using methods of these resources. The preparations of dishes and products were deeply affected by such a continuous and prolonged cultural exchange. It is thus absolutely plausible to speak of Mediterranean cookeries, well aware one is not dealing with a whole of identical recipes in all countries, but rather with an often very similar use of resources of an environment presenting close ecological and climatic characteristics. However, it is important to remember that the term ‘Mediterranean cookery’ is somehow a collective misnomer since such type of cuisine is characterised by a rich, regional, diversity; providing an endless variety of traditional dishes across the whole of the Mediterranean basin. Each dish possesses a unique charm that reflects ancient culture and family traditions; delicately revealing cultural identity, regional and geographic overtones as well as fundamental religious and social beliefs. Mediterranean cookery is a delicate mixture of abundant fruits, sweet-scented nuts, sun-ripened vegetables, aromatic herbs, plump grains and colourful pulses. It is characterised by sparse red-meat but plenty of fish – produce of the Mediterranean Sea so central to the whole civilisation. The highly abundant olive oil or other single-seed vegetable oil serve to enhance the sensual quality, colour, aroma and flavours that render Mediterranean cookery so appealing to those in search of healthy eating. Over the last few years Mediterranean cookery in Malta has enjoyed a marked resurgence and there are a number of Maltese restaurants that serve a genuine blend of Maltese and Mediterranean cuisine. When you are visiting the Maltese Islands we truly invite not to miss the opportunity to savour and relish Mediterranean cuisine – you will not be disappointed.
Slide 14: Traditional Maltese Cuisine Maltese food is rustic in character, full of the flavour and colour typical of a central Mediterranean Island. Our food is influenced by Malta’s proximity to Sicily and North Africa but with a special slant all our own. Traditional food accompanies us through life; a glass of smooth local wine with friends in a village bar comes with a dish of olives, some gbejniet (local sheep’s cheeses), zalzett (coriander flavoured Maltese sausage) with galletti (Maltese crackers) and some bigilla (broad bean pate) served with Maltese bread and olive oil; or on a cold day hot pastizzi (savoury ricotta filled pastries) are perfect with wine or coffee. Summer days at the beach means hobs biz-zejt, a popular snack made from a thick slice of crusty Maltese bread, rubbed with juicy, red tomatoes and topped with mint, a little onion, sheep’s cheese and anchovies all soaked in delicious green olive oil; a taste of sunshine, a taste of Malta. Cold winter nights bring on bowls of golden minestra, a very thick vegetable soup served with Maltese bread and oil. Fish, fresh from the surrounding Mediterranean Sea, plainly cooked is a consistent feature of our cuisine, especially aljotta, a delicious garlicky fish soup. Summer village festivals produce sweet street foods like imqaret (date pastries) and Qubbajt (nougat) to enjoy along with the fireworks and processions. Special family meals bring on serious dishes like Ross fil-forn, (Baked Rice), Imqarrun (baked Macaroni) or Timpana (a very special rich pasta baked in a pastry case) often followed by rabbit or meat dishes served with Maltese potatoes and vegetables. Desserts depend on the occasion; Easter Figolli (almond stuffed pastry figures), Christmas qaghaq tal-ghasel (honey rings), or simply a Cassata, (ricotta filled sponge with marzipan) some Cannoli, (Ricotta filled fried pastries) or another of the many traditional desserts, and sweet biscuits are popular snacks, perfect with a cup of strong coffee.
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Slide 16: Malta, St.John's Cathedral
Slide 17: SCHOOL NO 4 RADAUTI – ROMANIA Pupils from the 7 th grade have choosen a title from the project “MALTA” as a partner country of their choice like www.google.com. The students searched for information, images, recipes, maps. At the end there is a photo with the team project.