Malta Arrivederci Sicily, Hello Malta

Friday, August 28, 2026

Malta

Sicily, Hello Malta

We spent most of the day on the road. It was the day we would bid goodbye to Sicily (very sorrowfully, I should add, as we’d had such a grand time together there) and move on towards our next destination—Malta—as our travels were starting to wind down.

Breakfast in the Garden in Ragusa:

But first things first: Breakfast. We woke after a good night’s rest in the charming B&B that has stood on its foundation since the 1600s. In fact, it was so quaint, being clad in white sandstone (think hewn blocks of it) under a curved stone ceiling that I could not stop taking pictures of it. It was also on the ground floor, so we were saved having to haul up our baggage to the higher floors where there was no elevator. We washed, showered, dressed and packed up as right after breakfast, we had to start looking at leaving Ragusa and moving on.

Conchita had breakfast under an awning for us in her garden as the fierce sun was already strong at 8.30 am. Her other guests had just finished (apparently, they had an early start to their day) and were just leaving when we arrived. Conchita looked as elegant as ever in her morning frock as she took our order for scrambled eggs. Meanwhile, there was thick crusty sliced bread which we sampled with a selection of her home made fruit preserves. There were all sorts and I tasted cherry, apple, pear, lemon—all amazing. There was also a selection of cheese and I tried those as well. Freshly-baked pastries filled with apricot jam and Nutella also stood ready for our eating pleasure. Plus, she had fresh fruit (figs and peeled cactus pear) ready for us. After we had eaten well, we thanked her profusely.

It was at this point that we asked her for her advice on getting to Pozzallo Porto to take the ferry to Valetta in Malta. She looked surprised as she probably does not get many guests who make such a journey. Most come by car or have their own conveyance. Anyway, after discussing two options with us (taking the bus to Pozzallo from Ragusa or taking a ferry directly to Malta from Marina de Ragusa), we came to the conclusion that the former would work better for us as the ferry from the latter venue left rather late (7.30 pm) and would arrive in Malta at 10.30 pm. Although it seemed straight forward, there were some glitches involved. Conchita suggested that we wait till 10.00 am and then go to the main square (Piazza de San Giovanni) and find out from the Tourist Information counter there, what our best option would be.

And so, fifteen minutes later, we strolled up Corso Italia, the main arterial road in Ragusa Superior, and were at the Tourism Info counter. There, the lady (whose English was very slight) helped us find out the bus timings to Pozallo Port and so, armed with those options, off we went. We knew we had a long and complicated journey ahead of us but we hoped for the best

Taking the Bus from Ragusa to Pozzalo:

Conchita helped us call a taxi to our digs and by 1.00pm, we were saying goodbye to her and entering our taxi that cost us 20 euros to get to Ragusa Bus Terminal. There, we discovered that a bus would be leaving at 2.10 pm to take us directly to Pozzallo with no changes. It was worth waiting for the good one hour it took before the good-natured driver told us to enter. We bought our tickets on the bus (about 7 euros each) and were soon off. The bus was almost empty. The driver told us it would take about 2 hours to reach. We had also found out that the ferry from Pozzallo Port to Valetta would only be leaving at 7.30 pm. That would leave us with several hours in Pozzallo but again, we had no choice and would make the most of the down time.

I must comment on the panoramic scenery we encountered as we left Ragusa. From the highway, the scenery of the city perched on the hill and built in tiers, was simply spectacular. The shades of soft beige that make up the color palette is distinctive to these little towns in Sicily. As we drove further, we saw lots of signs on the highway for Siracusa, Catania, etc. Sicily is beautifully connected by a network of roads and we were most impressed by their speed, efficiency and cost (very economical indeed). En route, we passed through the equally lovely town of Modica, which is a neat day trip from Ragusa (if one has the time). This too is a Baroque town, but we’d had our fill of Baroque churches in Ragusa and were not sorry to have missed this. Modica too is built in tiers on the mountains and presents the same sort of staggered look—except that while Ragusa has a far more rustic appeal, Modica is much more sophisticated in the elegance of its buildings.

Before long, we arrived at Pozzallo and the sweet driver told us where to alight if we needed to get to the Port. It was about 3.30 pm by this time and the sun was hot and merciless. To get out of the AC bus and step on to the road in the glare of the sun was daunting. The driver also told us that all we needed to do was walk a little ahead and make a left and we’d come to the Port. Carting our baggage behind us, this was not a happy prospect—so we wondered whether we should look for a taxi to take us there. Just then a middle-aged woman stepped out of a car and I approached her to find out if she spoke English to see if she could help us find a taxi. She understood more English than she could speak and when she heard that we wanted to go to the Port, she told us to wait. She went back to the car from which she had alighted and spoke to the lady driver inside. It appears that she requested her to give us a ride to the Port. She told me that it would be hard to find a taxi and that the lady would be happy to drive us there! Can you imagine? Complete strangers stepped forward to help us at a time when we were so worried about the journey ahead.

Well, into the car we stepped after stashing our bags in the hold. It turned out that the driver, Christina, a lovely young woman, probably the lady’s daughter, could not speak a word of English, but she used Google Translate on her phone to communicate with us. She asked us if we would like her to take us all the way to the Port. And we said, Of course—if it was not too much trouble for her. She smiled, said, No Worries, and we set off. Well, I have to tell you that the journey was long. And I mean Long. Far from it being just a few minutes, it was miles away! There was simply no way we could have walked that far and a taxi would have set us back a handsome sum too. We seemed to be driving right through Pozzallo before we left the town behind and drove towards the Port which also seemed to be miles away!

Anyway, about a good 20 minutes later, we reached the spot. The sun was blazing and there was not a bit of shelter. We told her that we needed to buy tickets for the late evening’s ferry but the ferry booking office was closed. It would probably open again closer to the time of the sailing. Christina suggested we sit in a restaurant close by so that when it was time for us to board the ferry, we’d have only a short walk to get there. This seemed like a most sensible idea. Fortunately for us, one restaurant was actually open and with deep gratitude, we entered it. It was like entering a small haven. It was air-conditioned, we could use the toilet facilities, and we could get something cold to drink with a meal. So, we ended up ordering cold beers and a ciabatta sandwich filled with tomato, mozzarella and prosciutto. Yummy! It was a massive sandwich and we shared one and kept the other half for dinner on the ferry. Then, we gave ourselves a nice long rest, played games on our phones, people-watched as they came in and out of the place and soon, it was time for us to look for the booking office. At 6.30 pm, Llew took a walk outside while I kept watch with our baggage and after booking two tickets on the ferry, he returned to tell me that boarding had begun Well…what a relief it was to know that all had gone smoothy for us (more than we had expected) and that we would reach Malta that evening, as expected

On the Catamaran to Malta:

So, on the dot of 7.30 pm, our vessel sailed off. It was not just a conventional ferry but a high-speed catamaran—a very sophisticated-looking sea craft that was built in tiers and on which vehicles could also be boarded. Lots of folks were on board but it was, by no means, full. This explains why there is only one sailing per day run by a company called Virtu Ferries. The journey cost us about 110 euros each and with a restaurant on board, we sat down, ordered another beer and ate our other sandwich. This was a more than filling dinner as twilight gave way to darkness and the vessel plowed on.

About two hours later, the faint and distant lights of Valetta came into focus and we got ready to disembark and begin the next lap of our travels—this time in Malta.

Entering Valetta Harbor:

I must say a word about entering Valetta Harbor because it was so spectacular. One of the reasons I have always wanted to visit Malta and had placed it on my Bucket List was because of the pictures I had seen of this amazing place which is completely encircled by thick walls and because of the long, vast and exciting history of the Knights of St. John and their contribution to Malta.

Well…the town is beautifully illuminated at night and long before our vessel berthed, we could see the lighted outline of the dome of the Cathedral of St. John and a bunch of other churches that are intrinsic to the life of this community. We took many pictures of the town as we approached the harbor. I really felt sorry that we were arriving in the dark as it would have been sensational to see the place by daylight with its forbidding bastion walls that were built for defense

When the catamaran docked, the disembarkation began. Our landlady at our B and B, Iana, had given us detailed instructions on how to get to her place and inside her home. It was about 11.00 pm when we arrived there—so we did not expect to find her there. She had told us to take an Uber or Bolt and they were actually half the price (12 euros) of the waiting taxis (25 euros). We called for an Uber and about ten minutes later, one of them pulled up. He took our baggage, placed it in his trunk and began the ten-minute ride to our place.

Finding and Settling Into our B and B:

I must make it clear that we did not use Air B and B anywhere. All our bookings were made through Booking.com, an app I have used for at least 15 years. Our B and B was located in the Old Town of Valetta on St. Dominic’s Road. Valetta too is built in tiers and there are hills and steps to be negotiated if you wish to do any sightseeing at all. Reaching our B and B after 11.00 pm was not very pleasant. We were fortunate to find people still around who were able to direct us to the place at the end of a long flight of shallow, wide stairs. Once at the door, we used the key box code to find out key and let ourselves in.

We’d rented a studio apartment that was actually quite nice. At that hour, after a whole day of traveling, all we could do was wash and change and get ready for bed. Best of all, it was mercifully air-conditioned as the Sicilian heat had followed us to Malta and even at close to midnight, it was muggy and humid.

It had been an adventurous day involving a taxi at one end, a bus, a ride from a good Samaritan (or good Sicilian), a ride across the Mediterranean Sea in a catamaran and a taxi at the other end! We were knackered and ready to call it a day!

Until tomorrow, ciao…