The island is divided into different councils (Municipalities) all of which fiercely defend not only their football team (think Stormers or Sharks), and are each person prouder than the other as where they hail from. The Maltese are very social people and the rivalry with the local band club and or which Church festa all adds to the pomp and ceremony of annual activities. Each town, and even each street, have their own unique attributes, all which take on a personality of their own.
Location is key. Think about whether you want to be in the quiet countryside, historical area, on a yacht marina, in a hub of shopping or restaurants or close to your favourite pool lido.
The jewel of the crown is Malta’s capital, Valletta, which has been awarded the Culture Capital of Europe 2018, and has had a renewal of residential areas as well as entertainment and shopping.
I’ve been in hysterics trying to pronouncesome of the names of the places – how about you give them a try: Ċirkewwa – chir-ke-wa | Luqa – Loo-a | Marsaxlokk – mar-sah-schlok | Mdina – im-dina | Naxxar – nash-shar | Zejtun – zay-toon. It’s a good thing that throughout the island 95% of the Maltese speak English.
Despite being such a small island I can say that each area has its uniqueness in the same way that we see the Capetonians vs the Vaalies and even a version of Plettenberg Bay.
Often South Africans are surprised to find themselves happy in a convenient lock-up and go apartment in a vibey area, as opposed to our traditional large houses and gardens that need lots of maintenance.
Give it a try, you could be very surprised.