Mdina, the silent city

Mdina’s hill has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, but it was the Phoenicians who founded a town here around the 8th century BC. The Romans turned it into Melite, a city far larger than today’s, which spread over much of what is now Rabat. It was here, according to tradition, that the governor Publius welcomed St Paul after his shipwreck in AD 60.

In 870 the Arabs took the town and shrank it to its present size, digging the ditch that still separates it from Rabat: medina gave Mdina its name, and rabat (the suburb) gave its neighbour its own. After the Norman conquest of 1091, the city became the seat of the Maltese nobility, hence its nickname, Città Notabile.

The arrival of the Knights of St John in 1530 sealed its political decline: the Order settled on the Grand Harbour, first in Birgu, then in Valletta. The earthquake of 1693 then paved the way for a Baroque rebuilding, with Lorenzo Gafà’s cathedral and, in the 1720s, the gate and palace of Grand Master Vilhena, designed by the French architect Charles François de Mondion. Mdina came back to the fore in 1798, when the uprising against the French occupation broke out within its walls.

Mdina sits on a hill in west-central Malta, about a dozen kilometres from both Valletta and the international airport. That promontory explains everything: the view over the whole island, its role as a fortress and the calm of a hilltop village. The town is joined to Rabat, separated from it only by the old ditch, now laid out as gardens, and by Howard Gardens.

The bus is the simplest option: routes stop at Saqqajja or at Rabat bus station, five minutes’ walk from the main gate. The ticket, valid for two hours including transfers, is bought from the driver.

By car, you have to park outside: the area within the walls is reserved for residents, and Mdina can only be visited on foot. The car parks around Saqqajja fill up quickly by the middle of the day. The Bolt, eCabs and Uber apps quote the fare before you ride, handy for getting back in the evening when buses become less frequent.

Mdina can be visited year-round, but the time of day matters more than the season. Between 10 am and 4 pm, organised excursions fill the alleys; early in the morning, and above all late in the day, the town becomes the silent city once more. At nightfall the lanterns light up against the golden stone: it’s the best moment, and it’s free.

Spring and autumn bring the softest light. In July and August the stone throws back the heat and the shadeless alleys become gruelling around midday: come in the morning, then stay on for dinner on the ramparts.

How long to plan for? Two to three hours are enough for Mdina alone, cathedral and Palazzo Falson included. Add half a day for Rabat, its catacombs and its Domus Romana, which follow on naturally. The perfect day ends at the Dingli Cliffs, ten minutes away by bus, for sunset.

The must-do stop is the Fontanella Tea Garden, perched on the ramparts next to Bastion Square: people come for the view and for a chocolate cake that has become an institution. In the alleys, several bistros serve the Maltese platter, with ġbejniet (small sheep’s cheeses), bigilla (broad bean dip), olives and local sausage.

For fine dining, de Mondion, the Xara Palace’s restaurant, holds a Michelin star and sets out its terrace on the bastions on summer evenings. The best value lies on the other side of the ditch: Rabat’s pastizzi, hot and flaky, are eaten on the go for a matter of cents.

Step through Mdina’s gate and the noise of the island falls away. The city keeps its promise of silence better than anywhere else in Malta: alleys that twist and turn to break the wind and slow down attackers, blank façades, bronze door knockers, and then, suddenly, the bastions opening onto the whole countryside. Few towns in Europe have changed so little in three centuries, and this sense of an untouched setting is its greatest asset.

That strength comes with its flip side. Mdina is small, and the essentials can be seen in two hours. In the middle of the day, groups and carriages jostle for space and the silence is little more than a nickname. Places to eat and stay are scarce and pricey inside the walls, and the Mdina Dungeons are more tourist attraction than museum. The secret comes down to timing: come early or stay late, pair it with Rabat, and Mdina becomes one of the highlights of a trip to Malta.