Waking up at the crack of dawn might not be everyone’s idea of fun, but for local photographer Daniel Cilia, it was well worth it.

Early this morning, Daniel captured an absolutely breathtaking shot of Mount Etna, visible all the way from the steps of of Triq l-Arċisqof, in Valletta. With the sky painted in soft pink hues just before sunrise at around 5:30 AM, the result was pure magic.

Daniel pointed out that this was his third attempt, having arrived too late to capture the view twice before – a worthy reminder of the dedication and patience it takes to build beautiful shots like these.

In the foreground of the photo is Fort Tigné, a striking circular tower that happens to be the last fortification ever built by the Order of St John. Its construction began way back in 1793, during the rule of Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc.

Daniel shared the photo on social media, to waves of admiration and maybe even a little bit of inspiration for us all to have earlier starts to our day, if only to capture such an incredible view for ourselves!

Did you catch the sunrise this morning?