Valletta, Malta

Valletta, the fortress capital of Malta, was built in haste and defiance after the Great Siege of 1565, when the Knights of Saint John — a crusading order of warrior monks — repulsed a four-month Ottoman assault against overwhelming odds. Grand Master Jean de Valette, who gave the city his name, commissioned a purpose-built capital on the Sciberras Peninsula, a finger of limestone between the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. The result, completed in just fifteen years, is one of the most concentrated historic cityscapes in the world — a grid of steep, straight streets lined with baroque palaces, churches with every architectural order represented, and fortifications so massive that the city earned the epithet "Superbissima," the proudest.

For all its military origins, Valletta is a city of sophisticated pleasures. The Co-Cathedral of Saint John, its austere limestone exterior concealing an interior of overwhelming baroque splendour — gilded walls, inlaid marble tombstones covering every inch of the floor, and Caravaggio's masterpiece The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist — is among the great artistic experiences of Europe. The Upper Barrakka Gardens, perched on the bastions above the Grand Harbour, provide one of the Mediterranean's most dramatic viewpoints: a panorama of historic wharves, the Three Cities across the water, and Fort Saint Angelo, the Knights' original stronghold. Renzo Piano's new Parliament building and the restoration of the City Gate entrance have brought confident contemporary architecture into dialogue with the Knights' baroque vision.

Maltese cuisine draws on Sicily, North Africa, and Britain in roughly equal measure. Pastizzi — flaky diamond-shaped pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas — are the island's most beloved street snack, available from pastizzerias for mere cents. Rabbit (fenek) is the national dish, prepared as a rich stew (stuffat tal-fenek) with garlic, tomatoes, and red wine, or fried with garlic (fenek moqli). Ftira, a sourdough flatbread topped with tomato paste, olives, capers, and onions, is Malta's answer to pizza. Lampuki (mahi-mahi), caught from September through November, is the island's premier seasonal fish, often baked in a pie with vegetables and olives. Kinnie, a bittersweet soft drink flavoured with bitter oranges and aromatic herbs, is the patriotic alternative to cola.

Malta's compact size — just twenty-seven kilometres long — means that the entire island is accessible from Valletta within thirty minutes. The ancient capital of Mdina, a walled hilltop city of silent streets and noble palaces, offers a dramatic contrast to Valletta's bustle. The megalithic temples of Ħagar Qim and Mnajdra, dating to 3600 BC and older than Stonehenge, stand on cliff tops overlooking the sea. The Blue Grotto, a complex of sea caves illuminated by refracted sunlight, is best visited by morning boat tour. The neighbouring island of Gozo, reached by a twenty-five-minute ferry, offers the Citadella fortress, the Azure Window's remains, and a pace of life even more relaxed than Malta's.

Valletta's Grand Harbour receives an extraordinary roster of cruise lines: AIDA, Ambassador Cruise Line, Aurora Expeditions, Azamara, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Emerald Yacht Cruises, Explora Journeys, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Marella Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ponant, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Scenic Ocean Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea, TUI Cruises Mein Schiff, Viking, Virgin Voyages, and Windstar Cruises. Nearby ports include Marsaxlokk, Gozo, and — across the water — Syracuse and Catania in Sicily. The best months are April through November, with September and October offering warm seas and manageable crowds.