Travel blog: Malta & Gozo - Day 6

A brief overview of the sixth day of our 6-day visit to these beautiful islands at the end of December 2019.

Day 6: Valletta, St. Publius Church, St. John's Co Cathedral, Upper Barakka Gardens

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For our last day we only had a few hours left before we had to go back to the Malta Airport. We got up early and started the day with a visit to the church next to our Airbnb. The St. Publius Church was constructed at several stages between the 18th and 20th centuries. The first stone of the Church of St. Publius was laid down on 2 August 1733 by Bishop Paul Alphéran de Bussan, in the presence of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena. The Sacristy was completed seven years later and it began to be used as a small church by the inhabitants of the then newly built suburb of Floriana. Construction was complete by 17 January 1768, when the relic of Saint Publius was brought to the church. 

We then rushed to the St. John Co Cathedral to stay ahead of the big crowds. We had to wait a minute or 10 to get in but luckily it was not super crowded. It is such an amazing church to visit and photograph. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and was built by the Order of St. John between 1572 and 1577.

After visiting the church we ordered a double espresso and a snack at Cafe Caravaggio next to the church. We continued our way to the St. Catherine of Italy, which is a Roman Catholic church. The church serves as the parish church of the Italian community of Malta. We then rushed to witness the firing of the cannon of the Saluting Battery below the Bararakka Gardens at noon. The entrance fee was a whopping 3 euro's, but I figured it was worth a shot.

Once the cannon had fired, it was time to go back to the airport. We made a small pit stop at Dimitri Valletta to buy a sandwich and an oatmeal bar, it's a great foodie spot and near the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The firing of the cannon was a great ending for this trip, it is always nice to go out with a bang. I also managed to take a few more street photo's on the way back to the car. In the end I think I can say that, we are happy to have experienced this trip on our age (30+).