The Great Siege of Malta in 1565 raged through a gory summer from May to September as forces of the Ottoman Empire tried to seize the island from the Knights Hospitallers but were beaten off, despite outnumbering the islanders by five to one.
Then in World War II, Malta was bombarded again as a strategic sea base for the Allies. It suffered 3,343 air raids with 1,581 civilian deaths and 10,000 buildings destroyed as it withstood the Nazis.
Its courage earned the award of the George Cross to all the people of Malta, re-enacted with touching dignity, and period costume, in April this year.
This gory history has left a rich legacy of culture and architecture.
The mighty battlements around the three harbour towns of Vittoriosa, known as Birgu, Cospicua and Senglea, were built or reinforced after the great siege of 1565.
An escalating battle between the Spanish and Ottoman empires for control of the Mediterranean came to a climax with the hospitallers hugely outnumbered, their garrison of 6,000-8,000 facing an invasion force 30,000-48,000 strong. But the Turks' advance on Italy and Rome was halted.
The city came desperately close to defeat. Fort St Elmo was taken and battle raged until, aided by a force several thousands strong sent by Don Garcia of Sicily, the Turks were beaten on September 11.
Maltese Capital Valletta is named after John de Vallette, grand master during the siege. A World Heritage site, it's a giant baroque open-air museum, with a superb view of the harbour, and crowned by the majestic St John's co-Cathedral.
Co-cathedral treasures include the artist Caravaggio's awe-inspiring Beheading of St. John, the largest canvas he ever painted, 17ft x12ft. Also in the oratory hangs a smaller Caravaggio, St. Jerome.
The notorious painter, thrown out of Rome with at least one murder to his name, was a revered guest in Malta from 1607. Until his temper got him into more trouble.
A stroll around the fortified capital with its characteristic limestone buildings and timber balconies, is a delight.
There's a fascinating insight into the life of Maltese nobility in the Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta, a 16th century palace behind a modest facade. Now the private family home of the ninth Marquis de Piro, it hosts tours of its 50 rooms, with a treasure trove of furniture, paintings, silver and antiques.
Let's have a big round of applause for the fascinating Teatru Manoel, one of the oldest theatres in Europe, built in 1731. After German bombers destroyed the Royal Opera House in Valletta, the little Teatru was restored, and is one of the gems of Maltese culture. I got to operate the wind machine backstage. You lot who know me can stop smirking.
Wining and dining is a speciality in Malta. The glamorous Venezia restaurant, in the historic Captain's Palace in Vittoriosa, boasts a glorious view of the waterfront, near where Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich's prodigious yacht is frequently berthed. The Venezia serves up the best of Mediterranean cuisine.
Further afield, the magnificent Palazza Parisio, in the ancient village of Naxxar, was a stately home, built by the Portugese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena. Often described as a miniature Versailles, this ornate palace, with its blend of Maltese and Italian craftsmanship and glorious gardens, is a conference and function centre.
The Meridiana Wine Estate, on the outskirts of the walled city of Mdina, produces world-class wines on the site of the former British airbase of Ta'Qali. Mdina, the first capital city in the time of the Knights of Malta, is known as the Silent City. It's tiny streets and alleys are hushed and quaint after dark.
The Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans all left traces on the islands before yielding them to Arabs and then the Normans. Malta became a key cultural player in 17th and 18th Century Europe.
But if you prefer your history really ancient, take a ferry across to the quiet, sparsely-populated isle of Gozo. Stonehenge is a young upstart, compared with the Temples of Ggantija, the world's oldest free-standing structures. Ggantija is thought to have been built by the Sicani tribe from Sicily. Two temples were erected during the Neolithic Age between 3600-2500 BC.
At more than 5,500 years old, they are even older than the Pyramids of Egypt. They are thought to be the site of an Earth Mother Goddess fertility cult. Figurines and statues found there are seen in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.
If you fancy the beach while on Gozo, the Azure Window is a spectacular sight: a natural rock arch 20 metres high, through which waves crash.
Another hidden gem is a Sicilian restaurant, Il Panzier, in Charity Street, Victoria, where we ate a delicious lunch in a sun-dappled courtyard. I almost summoned up the will-power to say no to dessert - but after the lightest, most delightful tiramisu I've ever tasted, I was glad I didn't.
And I'll be returning to Malta for seconds.




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