The Silent City Mdina has more to offer than quaintness at night
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The guide book said to take a picnic lunch to Mdina and soak up the atmosphere at night. The guide book was wrong.
According to the Mdina Experience, in a film that gave far too much information among long pauses with no dialogue, Mdina was inhabited three thousand years ago. The people who came to the island created an advanced civilization for the time. Later the Phoenicians took over, and the Romans after them. Mdina became the capitol of Malta and remained a city of importance until the Knights of St. John inherited the island, and they moved the capitol to Valletta.
At least the film was educational, and it would probably be much better to do after having spent some time in Mdina rather than as the first thing after waking through the gate. The film quality is good, and they did a decent job of creating something that people can experience in several languages without any subtitles getting in the way. Also, the film did not shy away from the death that many of the conquerors and the rats of the plague brought with them.
Mdina itself is incredible small. Reputed to only have 250 residents, the city has earned the nickname of “the Silent City" because of the lack of cars. Only residents are allowed to drive their vehicles in the town. Mdina is so small, however, that even a slow walker can cover all of the city within an hour and have time left to spare.
That doesn’t mean that is what the traveler should try. There are several noteworthy attractions, including the Cathedral Museum and the Natural History Museum, but these are really just time killers for the real treat that Mdina brings to the table.
The real problem with the guide book that talked about bringing a picnic to eat while experiencing Mdina is that it made the city sound old, musty and totally devoid of anything other than empty streets and silence after the sun goes down. There are times when this may be a proper assessment.
However, Mdina doesn’t shut down when the tourists leave after the day is done. It instead opens up a wide variety of restaurants that are designed to tease the palate and excite the senses. There are restaurants that make full use of the views available. There is a restaurant/bar that takes up an entire bastion (Bacchus). There is a restaurant that specializes in Indian and Arabic cuisine. There is a restaurant that offers a chef menu of four course with a drink and dessert for 15 Euros. In fact, there are so many restaurants in this small town that it seems like the choices number through 150 according to my Austrian friend.
Food is one of the best ways to experience an area. Forget the picnic. Grab a friend or date, and go eat something at one of the restaurants in Mdina. I will be back to Mdina, and the next time, I am eating lunch and dinner and visiting more than the Mdina Experience.
The guide book said to take a picnic lunch to Mdina and soak up the atmosphere at night. The guide book was wrong.
According to the Mdina Experience, in a film that gave far too much information among long pauses with no dialogue, Mdina was inhabited three thousand years ago. The people who came to the island created an advanced civilization for the time. Later the Phoenicians took over, and the Romans after them. Mdina became the capitol of Malta and remained a city of importance until the Knights of St. John inherited the island, and they moved the capitol to Valletta.
At least the film was educational, and it would probably be much better to do after having spent some time in Mdina rather than as the first thing after waking through the gate. The film quality is good, and they did a decent job of creating something that people can experience in several languages without any subtitles getting in the way. Also, the film did not shy away from the death that many of the conquerors and the rats of the plague brought with them.
Mdina itself is incredible small. Reputed to only have 250 residents, the city has earned the nickname of “the Silent City" because of the lack of cars. Only residents are allowed to drive their vehicles in the town. Mdina is so small, however, that even a slow walker can cover all of the city within an hour and have time left to spare.
That doesn’t mean that is what the traveler should try. There are several noteworthy attractions, including the Cathedral Museum and the Natural History Museum, but these are really just time killers for the real treat that Mdina brings to the table.
The real problem with the guide book that talked about bringing a picnic to eat while experiencing Mdina is that it made the city sound old, musty and totally devoid of anything other than empty streets and silence after the sun goes down. There are times when this may be a proper assessment.
However, Mdina doesn’t shut down when the tourists leave after the day is done. It instead opens up a wide variety of restaurants that are designed to tease the palate and excite the senses. There are restaurants that make full use of the views available. There is a restaurant/bar that takes up an entire bastion (Bacchus). There is a restaurant that specializes in Indian and Arabic cuisine. There is a restaurant that offers a chef menu of four course with a drink and dessert for 15 Euros. In fact, there are so many restaurants in this small town that it seems like the choices number through 150 according to my Austrian friend.
Food is one of the best ways to experience an area. Forget the picnic. Grab a friend or date, and go eat something at one of the restaurants in Mdina. I will be back to Mdina, and the next time, I am eating lunch and dinner and visiting more than the Mdina Experience.