Greetings!
We began today by visiting the Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Mosta, which has the third largest unsupported dome in the world, and is Malta's largest and most famous church. The church narrowly avoided destruction during World War II, when on April 9, 1942 a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during Mass but failed to explode. The event was interpreted by the Maltese as a miracle.
Then to a glass-making company, and a jewelry warehouse. One of our travelers remarked that this practice of stopping by a business which clearly wanted us to buy something is a bit unusual for this tour company. Pat and I confirmed that we shy away from tour companies which do so, but it's not unusual for tours to get payments from these businesses.
The
Palazzo Parisio and Gardens in Naxxar was our next stop. Begun as a hunting lodge in 1733, it has been expanded and now is described as "a miniature Versailles", and has been used as a wedding site, filming location, wine store, and an R.A.F. Office during WWI.
Then we drove to Mdina and Rabat to walk through the streets of two of the island's oldest communities. The
Catacombs of St Paul and of St Agatha reminded us of the Hypogeum, except that they were built 2,000 years later. Though simpler and smaller, the similarity of their design reinforces the notion that underground burials must have been a strong part of the culture for the last six thousand years. Those who constructed the Catacombs had no idea that the Hypogeum existed, and was used so far in the past.
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