Central Mediterranean

An island with a rare distinction, Malta is the only place to have been awarded the George Cross for valour. Described by Sir Walter Scott as ‘the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen, its capital, Valletta, is a beautifully preserved 16 th century walled city. Today, its imposing Grand Harbour bears witness to the Crusaders and Knights Templar who built here on their way to and from the holy land. For the best views of the city, take to the waterways in a ‘dghajjes or ‘barkloris, a traditional Maltese boat.

Nestling on the sparkling Dalmatian coast, the medieval Croatian port of Split, faces the myriad magical islands of the Kornati archipelago which include Brac, Hvar and Vis.

Trieste is the capital city of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. A port city, it occupies a thin strip of land between the Adriatic coast and Slovenia’s border on the limestone-dominated Karst Plateau. Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Slovenian influences are all evident in its layout, which encompasses a medieval old city and a neoclassical Austrian quarter.

Zadar, a city on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, is known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town. There are several Venetian gates in the city walls. Surrounding the Roman-era Forum is 11th-century St. Mary’s Convent, with religious art dating to the 8th century. There’s also the grand, 12th-century St. Anastasia’s Cathedral and the round, 9th-century pre-Romanesque Church of St. Donatus.

This beautiful city is situated on the Dalmatian coastline of the Adriatic sea at the southern end of Croatia. Amazingly, most of the war damage has been repaired and Dubrovnik is once again the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic.

An island with a rare distinction, Malta is the only place to have been awarded the George Cross for valour. Described by Sir Walter Scott as ‘the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen, its capital, Valletta, is a beautifully preserved 16 th century walled city. Today, its imposing Grand Harbour bears witness to the Crusaders and Knights Templar who built here on their way to and from the holy land. For the best views of the city, take to the waterways in a ‘dghajjes or ‘barkloris, a traditional Maltese boat.