Top 10 Hidden Gems Things to do in Malta, Malta

Fort Rinella in Kalkara,was built in 1878. This fort is not only a unique remnant of Malta's recent British colonial past, but it is also the world's first mechanical fort which enabled its small garrison to fire a monstrous 100-ton gun every six minutes. To be able to do this, the fort was equipped with a novel steam-driven hydraulic set-up that enabled the gun to traverse and depress and its ammunition to be hoisted and loaded mechanically. On visiting this fort in 1889, the great French writer Jules Verne described it as a marvel of the industrial age which would render Malta safe for ever. Some say that this is the place from where he got the idea of writing his famous novel a 'Voyage to the Moon', where a man is stuffed into a large projectile and fired from a large gun onto the moon!Originally, the 100-ton gun was built by Sir William George Armstrong of Newcastle in 1878, to equip a new class of Italian battleships - the Duilio class. This caused a serious stir between Britain and Italy which led to the former to obtain examples of the same gun to secure Malta and Gibraltar against a potential Italian seaborne attack.The Armstrong 100-ton gun has a calibre of 17.72-Inches (45cm). It is 35 feet long and has an overall weight of 156 tons making it the world's largest muzzle-loading cannon ever built. It used a quarter of a ton of gun powder to propel its monster shells up to a maximum range of eight miles. At that range it could pierce anything up to 21-inches of ship armour! The gun at Fort Rinella and another at Napier of Magdala Battery in Gibraltar are the sole surving examples today. The fort has recently undergone extensive restoration and improvement. A new 20-minute audio-visual outlining the history of the fort and its gun has also been added and is included in all guided tours.RE-Live History at Fort Rinella - Every afternoon from Monday to Saturday!Throughout the year, from Monday to Saturday at 14.00Hrs sharp, Fort Rinella is brought back to life complete with late 19th century Victorian soldiers who will take visitors on an animated tour around the fort. This tour combines excellent guiding with live and colourful historical re-enacting including military signalling, firing of rifles, bayonet practice, military cooking and more. Much use of original period equipment and weapons is made throughout this tour. All this goes to provide an enjoyable and long lasting experience to visitors.

Ta’ Mena Estate is the first agri-tourism complex in the Maltese Islands. This estate offers an experience with a difference where our guests will be in touch with nature and tradition, enjoying typical foods, wines and liqueurs with a touch of the Mediterranean sunshine.At Ta’ Mena we produce typical Gozitan products, making use of traditional recipes which were passed over to us by our forefathers. These include the very popular Sun- dried Sweet Tomato Paste (Kunserva Helwa), Pickled Onions, Olives in Oil, Wild Capers in Vinegar, Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, various liqueurs and dessert wines and Gozo Peppered Cheese-lets amongst others.We at Ta’ Mena Estate grow our own grapes to produce great wines with a particular Gozitan character. We are proud that ten of our blends have been certified as GOZO D.O.K. Wines (Certified Denomination of Origin) which is the highest wine certification for Maltese wines. We also have two I.G.T. wines which certify that they have been produced from Gozo grown grapes.Therefore when you are visiting Gozo come and visit us at Ta’ Mena Estate for free wine and food tastings. We promise that you will not be disappointed!

Customers are kindly requested to book us at least a day before so that we can give them all our attention. If however, they are short on time, they can still contact us and we will do our best to accommodate them the best way we can. All wine tasting sessions are conducted in the afternoon. During winter and mid season tours are conducted at 4.15Pm and when the hot season starts vineyard tours are done at a later time. It is our policy that when the weather permits all wine tasting sessions are conducted at the vineyards at Gharb. Further details will be provided once booking is confirmed.

Malta Falconry Centre is a Quality Assured attraction certified by the Malta Tourism Authority. Explore the Malta falconry centre and live this unique experience, watch our falconers fly several different species of well trained birds of prey and see these magnificent birds in free flight. The facility holds its own free parking,open spaces around the centre all fully-accessible for everyone visit us. Complimeting the centre one find a souvenir shop situated at the main entrance, offering wonderful gifts to memorize the experience at the unique falconry in Malta Opening times The Centre is open all year round from Tuesdays till Sundays. Winter times : from 9.00 till 15.00 (1st October and 30th June) Summer times : from 9.00 till 12.30 (1st July to 30th September). The Centre is closed on Mondays and (24 and 25 June 2017) Display times We have two displays per day in Winter at 11:00 and 14:00 We have one display per day in Summer at 11:00 (Weather Permitting - windy days) bird handling is held instead Falconry Experience! At the Malta Falconry Centre, we offer a unique experience – the thrill of the Falconry art. This falconry experience is given in a course style. Carrying out such experience/ course one gets to know better the techniques of the falconry art and get a beginners knowledge as a falconer. This experience is offered in two ways; a half day experience or full day experience, are offered. The half day introduces the participant to the basics of falconry and gets to know how falconry birds are trained from 9.30 till 12.30 The full day experience enables the participant to get to know more as regarding the falconry techniques and would also have enough time to fly a bird of prey after learning how to train these birds. A participation certificate is given at completion of such course from 9.30 till 14.30. (Summer Time 8:30 till 13:30) All around the year This experience is offered to all ages. Children are to be accompanied by one adult (both adult and child/ren are to pay for the experience). Pre-booking by email is needed giving the name/s of the participant/s and the date on which the experience is to be carried out. No experience could be held without pre-booking. All participants are to be on time as to have the experience carried out on schedule.

The Spoonman’s Shop is a local artists gallery in the heart of Victoria. Our work consist in woodwork, paintings, ceramics and small handmade souvenirs. I am fascinated by the neolithic pottery so you will find some nice replicas here. I design wooden spoons with stories, wooden bowls, crosses and small decoration. Having my chisels in our shop I will be happy to present my craft.

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is an underground prehistoric burial site, a complex made up of interconnecting rock-cut chambers set on three distinct levels. Earliest remains at the site date back to about 4000BC, and the complex was used over a span of many centuries, up to c. 2500 BC. The Hypogeum was first opened to the public in 1908. Due to its uniqueness, the site became very popular with visitors. Unfortunately, this had a negative impact on the delicate microclimate of the site. For this reason, a conservation project was conducted that also included the closure of the site for 10 years between 1990 and 2000. As a result of these studies, a new visiting system was established. Nowadays, only 10 visitors an hour are now allowed inside the Hypogeum for a maximum of 8 tours a day. This system is also complemented by an environmental control system which keeps temperature and humidity at required levels. Tickets for the Hypogeum should be purchased well in advance.

If you fancy seeing something a little bit different when visiting Valletta go to Casa Rocca Piccola. Often described as a ‘living museum’ it is the only privately owned palace open to the public in the city. Built over 400 years ago for a Knight of Malta, Don Pietro La Rocca it is now the ancestral home of a Maltese Noble family. On your tour the guides will point out interesting things to see such as an 18th Century golden Sedan Chair. There are literally hundreds of magnificent objects to see including modern paintings interspersed with the ancestral portraits of the Marquises de Piro and the Barons of Budach. You will also see a network of tunnels cut out from the rock under Casa Rocca Piccola which were used as Bomb Shelters in World War 2. Over 100 people sheltered here from the Nazi bombs that poured on Valletta. To finish your tour in the cellars of the house there is a delightful Sicilian restaurant called La Giara.

An extraordinary collection of art and antiques (including paintings, furniture, silver, armour, jewellery, coins, etc.) displayed in one of the oldest buildings in Malta. The Collection was put together by the Palazzo’s most recent owner and resident, Captain Olof Frederick Gollcher who was an artist, philanthropist and avid collector. Opening times: Tue to Sun 10am-5pm (last visit 4pm). Facilities include audio guide, panoramic view rooftop cafe, gift shop, special needs toilet.