"I'll be back"... and other things famous past visitors have said about Malta
Don’t take our word for it. These VIPs know a good spot when they see one and they’ve had lots to say about Malta.
I can wax lyrical about my home country. Of course I can - after all, I’m biased, and no matter where I go in the world, my heart remains firmly on this island in the Mediterranean. But I’m not the only one to have my heart set on Malta. Countless are the visitors who have left a piece of their heart on Malta’s shores over the years- including celebrities.
Hollywood heartthrob Antonio Banderas was the latest celebrity to be enchanted by Valletta, as he strolled around the capital during a break from filming on the island. "Beauty everywhere," he said, in a caption to an instagram post.
“Happiest days of my life”
Queen Elizabeth has a special affection for Malta, and is known to have spent what she called “the happiest days of my life” living here between 1949 and 1951, while her husband Prince Philip was stationed on the island as a young naval officer. They lived a carefree life, where the then Princess Elizabeth would drive around in her little car, go shopping or to the hairdresser, and the couple would dance the night away at various parties and balls.
According to her closest female companion of the time, Lady Pamela Hicks, those were “magical days of endless picnics, sunbathing and waterskiing”. In other words, pretty much what most tourists look forward to enjoying while visiting Malta. Lady Pamela also mentioned how she and the Princess would “rush to the [Upper] Barrakka [Gardens] to see the fleet come in - it was always a fantastic sight”. I can imagine! The view from Upper Barrakka Gardens remains just as breathtaking today as it was back in the early 1950s, although the military vessels have now been replaced with cruise liners.
“I can’t wait to come back”
The Queen’s soon-to-be granddaughter-in-law Meghan Markle also professed her love for the island when she visited in 2015 to track down her distant relatives. The American actress’s great-great-grandmother Mary was born in Malta in 1862, and Meghan soon felt a connection with the island, claiming she “really loved it”. She even likes pastizzi. At the time of her visit, Ms Markle said: “The people have been so kind, the food is amazing and the culture. I can’t wait to come back, it’s too short a time. Everything is picturesque. It is a great destination, really special.” Well, what more can I add? I fully agree! And if it’s good enough for her…
She didn’t leave the island empty handed either. She confessed she stuffed her suitcase with all sorts of local gourmet goodies after falling in love with “the fresh goat’s milk cheeses, particularly the pickled ones with black pepper on them.” After breakfasting on pastizzi, she later indulged in a local favourite of spaghetti with rabbit, which she had been “waiting to try”. So, what are you waiting for?
“Pomskizillious”
Something happens to people when they come to Malta. It takes over their heart in different ways. The sight of the rugged Gozitan coastline prompted English author and poet Edward Lear to coin the phrase “pomskizillious and gromphibberous, being as no words can describe its magnificence”. He too fell under Gozo’s capitvating spell, and from his lodgings in the capital Victoria, covered the whole island on foot in eight days. Now that’s an idea for a hike. Or, you can always hire a car.
He visited the Maltese Islands numerous times between 1848 and 1866, and recorded his reflections of his visits in his diaries, including sketches and details about daily life on the island. Today Lear’s made up word “pomskizillious” lives on as the name of a delightful museum of toys in Xaghra.
Perhaps though, the island is not to everyone’s taste. Fellow poet Lord Byron was not so enamoured with it when he landed on these shores, and berated Valletta’s “cursed streets of stairs”. An understandable complaint of course, considering he had a club foot! Sorry, Lord Byron. Malta is far more wheelchair friendly these days.
"I'll be back"
Others can’t seem to get enough of the island. Brad Pitt is one of them. He has filmed no less than three times on the Maltese Islands, including for Troy, World War Z and then starring in Angelina Jolie’s production of By The Sea, which was shot entirely in Gozo.
Finally, music legend Elton John loved being in Malta so much he promised his audience of thousands who had gathered at the granaries in Floriana for his concert in 2003 that he “will be back”. And he kept his word, returning for another sell out show in 2010.
And the list goes on and on. What is certain is that no one who's stepped onto Malta’s shores was left untouched by this eclectic island in the Mediterranean. Was it pomskizillious for you too?