What is your most vivid childhood memory in Malta?

“One of my first memories as a child was being taken to the Floriana Parade Ground to watch the Independence celebrations. I was five. I remember the crowds, the ceremony, the lights and fireworks, the flags, the military drill and bands!”

What is your favourite...

Local restaurant
“Trabuxu Bistro, Valletta.”

Bar or watering hole & your usual order
“Café Society, Valletta. I normally order a Cuban Gringo!”

Local dish
“Lampuki.”

Beach or swimming spot
“Exiles, Sliema.”

Nightlife spot
“Electro Lobster Project.”

Activity to do in Malta
“Flâner in Valletta.”

Landmark
“St John’s Co-Cathedral.”

Local smell
“The scent of thyme in a garigue landscape.”

View
“The view of St Paul’s Cathedral spire from my terrace.”

Town/village
“Valletta.”

Describe your ideal day spent in Malta.

“Coffee and cheesecakes at Prego, a café which has not changed its interior décor since the fifties, run down to the office for a meeting to discuss the restoration of the steeple of St Paul’s Cathedral that I can see from my bedroom window, (one of our current projects), fresh fish at Trabuxu Bistro and later, find the time for a spot of research at the Bibliotheca, the National Library that is housed in one of the last buildings designed in a severe baroque style and built by the Order of St John of Jerusalem. When the library closes, I meet some friends for a cosmopolitan or two at Kingsway, the bar on the corner of Queen’s Square, and later dinner in the open terrace overlooking the Grand Harbour of Harbour Club.”

How stressed do you get when driving in Malta, from 1 (it’s like being in a spa) to 10 (I’m literally about to kill everyone)?

“About a 5.”

What is the one tip you’d give to a visitor?

“Don’t miss the Beheading of St John by Caravaggio, it’s the most important and splendid work of art we possess!”

Either or…

Malta or Gozo? “Malta.”

Cisk or Kinnie? “Cisk.”

Summer or winter? “Summer.”