1. Museum of Archaeology, Valletta

The beamed Baroque ceiling in the Grand Salon at the Museum of Archaeology – featuring gilded panelling, with its deep gold, shots of red and daubs of turquoise – has seen the centuries sweep by, like fresh air on a cloistered day. Formerly the Auberge de Provence, the building dates back to 1571, and is now the centre of the islands’ archaeological heritage, telling stories which echo deep into the wells of history. 

2. Domus Zamittello, Valletta

The painstaking restoration work which has taken place at this 17th century palazzo – formerly a private residence and now reopened as a boutique hotel - has made a solid contribution to Malta’s architectural heritage. The Sala Del Conte, where guests can take their breakfast, and the Sala Nobile, now being used as a meeting room, are particularly standout: their brightly coloured cornices and detailed flourishes were restored to their original beauty, giving some indication of the treasures sometimes hidden behind closed doors.

3. St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta

On display in all its glory, the ceiling at St John’s Co-Cathedral, the Knights of Malta’s former Conventual Church, was painted by the famed artist Mattia Preti, who made use of shadows and highlights to create his three-dimensional frescoes. The elaborate carved arches, which were created on site, tower over the hallowed interior of the church, enveloping it with a rich sense of dependability.

4. The arches on Treasury Street, Valletta

For many years, Valletta was in the doldrums, neglected for the heady consumerism of sister towns across the harbour. Today, its rebirth has drawn heads to turn and eyes to dart from site to site, like birds flitting from the trees. With so much to see, it may be easy to miss this: the ceiling underneath the arches on Treasury Street, just outside the National Library. Its understated beauty is a far cry from the ornate guts of other heritage buildings dotted around the capital, but its carvings still recall the capital’s Baroque flair. 

5. Grandmaster’s Palace, Valletta

If there is one place you might have to actually walk with your head craning on a stiff neck, this might be it. The main corridors of the Grandmaster’s Palace boast frescoes – from the brush of Nicolau Nasoni, in 1724 - which jostle for attention, while the epic Great Siege is depicted in all its mortal finality on the ceilings of The Palace State Rooms. 

6. Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar

Formerly a hunting lodge, today a wedding and event venue, Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar has inspired many artists and designers and continues to do so to whomever walks through its entrance sidled by the town’s parish church. In the lobby, cherubs fly overhead, welcoming visitors with the Roman ‘salve’, while, upstairs, in the ornate ballroom, gilded plasterwork and light, breezy tones mirror the pearled elegance of affluency. 

7. Mosta Dome, Mosta

When a bomb plunged through this ceiling in 1942, parishioners thought that their time had come. But, by some curious blend of luck and faulty military technology – otherwise known by the term ‘miracle’ by locals – it did not. The ceiling of this Mosta church still swells inside what was once the third largest unsupported dome in Christendom, and still has mouths gawping at its symmetry. 

8. King George V Band Club, Mqabba

The first band club in Malta opened over 150 years ago with the aim of hosting communal and civic activities. They were – and still are – places where locals could come together and take comfort in the company of fellow men and women. The ceiling at the King George V Band Club in Mqabba is a reminder of earlier years and Malta’s ties with the nobility of Catholic Europe, featuring gold-leaf detailing and celestial scenes which wouldn’t look out of place in one of the islands’ Baroque churches. 

And there are many more! Can you think of any?