Take a stroll through the picturesque streets of Mdina, Malta.
Mdina (pronounced “em-dee-nah”) is a stately walled city, high on a plateau in the interior of Malta. Founded back in the 8th century BCE by the Phoenicians (then called Maleth), the city served as the capitol of the island under the Romans (Milete), the Byzantines and the Arabs. Under the Arab rulers, Malta adopted a Semitic language that eventually evolved to the unique Maltese spoken on Malta and Gozo today. Milete became Medina, which morphed into today’s Mdina.
Eventually the Knights Hospitaller showed up (now the Knights of Malta) and moved the capitol to Birgu on the coast, which then later moved to Valletta.
During the Roman times, Mdina was booming and three times the size it is today. Today’s walled city only has 300 full time residents. If you visit the city early enough, it’s deathly quiet. Not a soul around. Maybe that’s why they call it “the Silent City.” Or maybe it’s the fact only a handful of cars are allowed in the city. However, you don’t have to wait long for people to appear as it’s one of Malta’s top attractions and rightfully so. This town is adorable.
*Note: If you plan on visiting Mdina, get there extremely early. Parking near the city gate fills up fast, which is not surprising in a country with two cars for every person and free parking everywhere you go.
The Mdina Gate. See, freaking adorable.
Even the other side of the gate is gorgeous. I love all the sandstone.
The first thing you see as you walk into Mdina is a little plaza. The natural history museum is on the right. If you follow the street on the left behind the van, it will lead you to more pretty things.
But first, look at this awesome building. I love the mismatched colors on the woodwork.
A different take on the Maltese balcony. (As seen in my Wandering Valletta post.)
Finally heading down that street that leads to more pretty things.
St. Agatha’s Chapel kind of sneaks up on you around a bend.
I was able to take a peek inside later in the day.
A very narrow side street that is commonly found in Mdina.
The street finally widens here to some larger and grander buildings.
Another unique Maltese balcony.
Regal buildings are just squeezed into this tiny city.
The Banca Giuratale once housed the city’s administrative council and courts, now it houses part of the National Archives of Malta.
The details above the door are amazing.
Further down the street, you find this very colorful building, with a very lilac balcony.
Opposite is St. Paul’s Cathedral!
The Bishop’s Palace turned Cathedral Museum. They have an impressive collection.
The courtyard was really cool.
Cool chapel inside too.
Back to the St. Paul’s. It was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in the baroque style. While not as flashy as St. John’s in Valetta, it’s still very pretty.
I really like all the pastel colors.
On a similar color pallet is the Carmelite Priory Church found a bit further down the street.
You can see some of the same reds and blues and maybe more OSHA violations in this one. Two guys doing restorations, or something, were trying to take the ladder at the bottom and hoist it up on that rickety scaffolding. It was quite amusing.
The dome was just lovely.
One of the altars without the shoddy scaffolding.
A closer view of the church.
Close by was San Rocco. I wish I could have seen it open. Apparently its red inside as well.
Further up the street (it’s basically the main drag of Mdina), is the lovely Casa Mdina.
On the other side of the square is my favorite, complete with rich blue shutters.
Look out over the city walls for this fantastic view of Malta.
Mdina is a wonderful little city to spend a morning wandering about and then an afternoon in the museums. It’s just a beautiful place to be.
Check out my next update where I explore Mdina’s suburb, Rabat!
Now I want to go to Malta.