Attractions

Palace Armoury, Valletta. Display of armaments of the Knights of St. John-also known as the Knights of Malta-from their 268-year rule. These include armor, muskets, cannons and other weapons of the period.

National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta. Artifacts from Malta's prehistoric temples.

St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. Built in the 16th century, the cathedral displays Caravaggio's Beheading of St. John in the oratory. A museum houses a set of Flemish tapestries and church vestments.

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta. The elaborate 5,000-year-old underground burial labyrinth was recently re-opened.

Megalithic Temples, Mgarr and Skorba. The world's oldest freestanding structures (c. 3250 B.C.) predate the Egyptian pyramids by 3 1/2 centuries.

Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta. Exhibits portray Malta's art treasures through the centuries.

Something Special

Carnival (Feb. 20-24), celebrated before Lent, is a time of great merriment, music and song, decorated floats and grotesque masks. The event has strong historical roots, and festivities combine traditional and modern elements.

Holy Week celebrations (April 5-12) are characterized by Maundy Thursday evening pilgrimages, Good Friday pageants and early morning Easter processions.

In summer, villages have three-day feasts in honor of their individual patron saints, with street decorations, fireworks and marching bands, culminating in Sunday evening processions when statues of the saints are shouldered along the streets.