16
EXECUTIVE
TRAVELLER
HERITAGE
17
Mdina – Citta Nobile
Mdina is reputed to have been built more than
4,000 years ago. Lamp lit by night and referred to
as “the silent city”, Mdina is fascinating to visit for
its timeless atmosphere as well as its cultural and
religious treasures. Known also as Città Notabile
or Città Vecchia, Mdina is the old capital of Malta,
a medieval walled city situated on a hill right in
the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered
beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of
the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers.
The city today is still confined within its
majestic walls, and has a population of about
320 residents. It was home then, as now, to
Malta’s noble families; some are descendants
of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords
who made Mdina their home from the 12th
century onwards. Impressive palaces line its
narrow, shady streets. Mdina is one of Europe’s
finest examples of an ancient walled city and
extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque
architecture.
Attractions include a vast number of beautiful
squares, churches, palatial residences and also
convents, as well as its unusual combination of
architecture from different periods, which dates
back to the Norman and Baroque era s, some of
which are still in private hands and are considered
to be priceless. One of this city’s most special
attributes is that very few residents live here, and
the majority of the families who do, has done so
for many generations. Mdina is without doubt an
incredible attraction, not to be missed.