Painting holiday

Malta • Gozo

Ancient culture in the heart of the Mediterranean
With its walled Roman city of Rabat, sandy beach of Ramla L'Hamra, the 3,500 BC Ggantija temples and the harbour-side restaurants, the tiny island of Gozo hosts an enormous variety of subjects with practically no travelling time between them.

A typical week

Arrival day

Leaving Malta airport, we travel to the ferry port, and a short crossing past the island of Comino and on to Gozo. After a brief transfer to the hotel, we gather before dinner, perhaps have a swim and ready ourselves for the week ahead.

Lunciata Valley

Looking across the Lunzjata valley with its neat fields and wild bamboo, we base ourselves by a tiny chapel, built into the rock, where a natural spring bubbles from the ground.

Ggantija Temples

The prehistoric temples of Malta and Gozo are older than the Pyramids. Ggantija is the largest and most ancient, with giant megalithic stones. As an unusual painting subject, the stones embody mystery and history, giving free rein to your creative imagination.

Il-Qolla and Il-Qbajjar salt pans

Beneath a strange rock formation, lie the salt pans of Qbajjar from where salt is still collected. They range from natural and organic shapes to the regular carefully cut while the backdrop of softer rock has been worn perfectly smooth to create a weird and wonderful ochre-tinted moonscape.

Market in Rabat 'It-Tokk'

A day in the capital, sitting in the buzy square, surrounded by the market stalls and recording daily life.

Mġarr Harbour

The harbour remains a hub for the traditional colourful fishing boats that sport the Phoenician Eye to ward off evil spirits and bring in a good catch. Whether on shore or in the water, the boats' bright colours beg to be painted.

Free day

A chance to relax, swim, enjoy cafe life in Rabat or even take the short ferry crossing to Malta and explore the Grand Harbour or, perhaps, the pretty fishing port of Marsaxlokk.

Departure day

After an early breakfast we take the ferry to Malta, no doubt casting nostalgic looks over the stern.