Malta

Valletta is the capital of Malta. Founded in the 16th century by the Knights of St. John and named after Grand Master Jean de Valette, it was designed as a fortified, grid-planned city after the Great Siege of 1565. Today it hosts Malta’s government and is famed for Baroque architecture like St. John’s Co-Cathedral. It’s also one of Europe’s smallest national capitals by area, perched between the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. To avoid confusion: Mdina is the “Silent City” and former capital, Sliema is a popular coastal town, and Gozo is Malta’s second island, not a city. Memory tip: “V for Valletta, V for Valette, V for Victory after the siege”—the capital born from victory and named for Valette.