Malta

San Anton palace is a palace in Attard, which is the official residence of the President of Malta. It was originally built in the early 17th century, and it was used as a residence by Grand Masters. The palace is surrounded by the extensive San Anton Gardens, parts of which have been open to the public since 1882. During this tour we will first visit this Garden and then continue to the next stop which is Rabat. Rabat is a town in the Northern Region of Malta. The name of the town is derived from the Arabic word for "suburb" as it was the suburb of the old capital Mdina. Rabat is home to the famous Catacombs of St. Paul. These catacombs were used in Roman times to bury the dead as, according to Roman culture, it was unhygienic to bury the dead in the city Mdina. The Maltese catacombs were never meant to be hiding places during persecutions or as living quarters. Our next and final stop is Mdina, which served as the island;s capital from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of just under 300. Mdina remained the capital of Malta throughout the Middle Ages, until the arrival of the Order of St. John in 1530, when Birgu became the administrative centre of the island. Mdina experienced a period of decline over the following centuries, but then saw a revival in the early 18th century. At this point, it acquired several Baroque features, although it did not lose its medieval character. Mdina is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and it is now one of the main tourist attractions in Malta.