City Breaks

Amsterdam Episode 01 Introduction

Welkom in Amsterdam! This introduction to our Amsterdam series brings you the basic facts - geographical, historical, cultural - which underpin everything. To capture the spirit of Amsterdam, here’s Russell Shorto’s description of the view from his Amsterdam window: ‘the little boats moored by the quay, the row of tilting, gabled buildings on the opposite bank and, on any given day, a couple of bicycles chained to the railing of a hump-backed bridge.’ So, let's go, or as the Dutch say ‘laten we gaan’.

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

 

 

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 08 Stories from Malta

This last episode on the Valletta series brings you lots of different stories from Malta. We start with a little descriptive writing, factual and fictional, followed by mini-biographies of 4 people who’ve featured in previous episodes but not really had the time they deserve: St Paul, St Publius, Caravaggio and Daphne Caruana Galizia, the high-profile journalist murdered for her stand against corruption in Malta.  And to finish, some literary extracts, namely a mystery story set in Malta and 2 World War II love stories. In short, a whole range of new perspectives on Valletta and its surroundings.

Reading Suggestions

The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench 
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Ryan Murdock

Links for this Post
Short Lets Malta blog   

 

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 07 Easy Days out from Valletta

Here are our ideas for easy days out from Valletta if you want to explore some of the rest of Malta.  We start with the two most popular day trips, to the 3 Cities and to Mdina and Rabat, both very easy to do on public transport.  Then we have a look at hop-on, hop-off bus tours and boat trips.  You could spend a week in Valletta, you could just as easily spend a week doing day trips with Valletta as a base!  Most likely, you’ll do a little of each and this episode will help you plan your excursions to other parts of the island.

The Inquisitor’s Palace   
Malta at War Museum   
St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina   
Carmelite Priory, Mdina  
The Roman House, Rabat   
St Paul’s Grotto, Rabat   
St Paul’s Catacombs, Rabat   
Hop-on Hop-off bus tours  
Malta Boat Tours   
Luzzu Cruises

 

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 06 Food and Festivities

This episode is dedicated to two topics which are very important in Malta - food and festivities.  Malta has more public holidays – 14 – than most other European countries, plus a whole range of other feasts and festivals.  Of course, food is key to most of them and so this episode introduces you to both.  We cover the varied culinary offerings, influenced by so many centuries of foreign cultures coming to the island and then look at the equally expansive range of celebration days, religious, national and cultural. In short, plenty of fun!

Reading Suggestion 
Taste of Malta by Anton B Dougall  

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 05 Art, Architecture and Archaeology

This is a pot-pourri episode, beginning with a look at Valletta’s art scene: the National Art Gallery, 3 artists linked to the island and the oratory where the 2 most famous paintings are hidden away.  Next, some pointers on the city’s architecture: typical design features and the three main periods, all of which are represented by buildings to look out for in Valletta today.  Lastly, a trip to the National Museum of Archaeology, where you can learn lots about the island’s very distant past and pick up some tips to inform visits to the rest of the island.

Reading Suggestion
Seven Temples on Malta by Betsy Ross-Edison

Links for this post
The National Art Museum      
The Grand Master’s Palace    
St John’s Cathedral   
The National Museum of Archaeology  

Valletta Episode 04 Finding World War II in Valletta

There are traces of World War II everywhere in Valletta.  This episode begins with a little history from the period and explains why the island of Malta was awarded the prestigious George Cross.  Then we look at 3 museums which all take a different approach, covering the military action here on ‘Fortress Malta’ and also explaining what the war did to the daily lives of its people.  We end with a look at some of Valletta’s memorials to this turbulent period, which are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other at the Floriana end of the city.

Reading Suggestions
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
Churchill and Malta’s War by Douglas Austin

Links for this post
National War Museum   
Malta at War Museum   
Lascaris War Rooms   

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 03 Finding the Knights of Malta in Valletta

This episode gives a little history on the Knights of Malta and explains where to 'find' them in Valletta today.    In fact they’re everywhere, not least in the Maltese Cross you'll keep seeing, on information panels everywhere and in the beautiful buildings they left behind. In fact, they founded the city of Valletta and built it from scratch - Europe's very first planned city.

Reading Suggestions
The Knights of Malta by Joseph Attard
The Shield and the Sword by Ernie Bradford

Links for this Episode
The Malta Experience and the Holy Infirmary 
The Grand Master’s Palace   
The Armoury  
St John’s Cathedral   

 

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated! 

  

Valletta Episode 02 Three Walks around Valletta

Valletta is a very walkable city and this episode offers three walking routes for exploring it.  They could be done in a day if you want to see all the main sights quickly, or you could spread them out over a few days, linger a little, go into some of the places we pass by and build up an in-depth knowledge of Malta's capital city.  Take a street map with you and you should be able to follow the routes easily. 

Reading Suggestions 
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia

Links for this post
Our Lady of Victories Church  
The Grand Master’s Palace  
The Armoury   
St John’s Co-Cathedral   
Fort St Elmo National War Museum   

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 01 Introduction

Merħba il-Valletta: welcome to Valletta, the capital of Malta.  Valletta is a World Heritage Site, small in scale, easy to explore and known for its stunning coastal views and gorgeous architecture.  Here you can 'meet' such varied characters from history as St Paul, Caravaggio and the Knights of St John and learn some of the island's most inspiring stories: how Malta triumphed during the Great Siege of 1565 and why the island was awarded the George Cross during World War II.    

This is the introduction to our Valletta series and the remaining 7 episodes will bring you all the background history and culture you need to really understand the city.  In short, here is all the research you’d do yourself if only you had the time!  See below for reading ideas and useful links.

Two useful websites for tourists
Visit Malta   
Malta Uncovered   

3 Guide Books
Pocket Rough Guide to Malta and Gozo  
Lonely Planet Malta and Gozo
Eyewitness Top 10 Malta and Gozo

4 History Books
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia

Maltese Cooking
Taste of Malta by Anton B Dougall

2 Novels set in Malta
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated

Marseille Episode 10 A Marseille Anthology

Our Marseille Anthology includes some travel writing, plus a range of fiction pieces set in the city.  Extracts include Simone de Beauvoir hiking in the surrounding countryside and Jean-Claude Izzo's description of the Italian immigrant community in Le Panier in the 1930s.  The Count of Monte Cristo's daring escape from the Château d'If is here, as are a meal of boullabaisse in a waterside restaurant and a visit to the underwater caves where prehistoric man left artwork behind.  There are even two passages which help explain why Marseille has sometimes been called 'the wicked city'.  

Reading Suggestions
Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo
Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
First Fingerprint, by Xavier-Marie Bonnot
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayl

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!