Sailing with SaltyPaws: Malta and the origins of Spiteri

Upon entering the our secluded cove in Malta after leaving Sicily, I noticed a very different landscape. Steep sandstone clifs erupted vertically out of the water, there were no nigh rise apartments, it was not a land easily approached by water, and yet I have learned that Malta has been the home of countless civilizations. As early as 3000 years before the Egyptians, in the “bronze age” early inhabitants made the home. The appetite for the Maltese Archipelago continued through to the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Spanish, Italians, French, and British. The landscape was largely unforgiving. The land is dry and rocky, and water is scarce. There is fish in abundance, but so is it in the rest of the Med. So why did these people, including my perhaps my relatives from a long time ago (Spiteri is a Maltese last name) choose to conquer and reconquer Malta, Gozo, and little Camino? I couldn’t appreciate why until we found shelter from 2 significant storm systems. Malta is full of little bays and shelters from storms where by any wind direction, you can chose from basket of secluded and protected coves by simply going to the lee side of the island and waiting out the storm. Alternatively, you can enter the fjord like system of protected bays of Valleta which gave us shelter from one of the largest storms they had seen all year. As a sailor, a comfortable nights rest from the wind and waves is a more valuable refueling stop than a convenient petrol station. It’s the island’s position as the perfect resting place between developing Europe and the east (Arabia, India, Egypt, etc…) which probably made it so popular among travelers. The geology of the island makes unique with its high clifs eroded by the sea creating secret caves, fjords, coves, and protected bays offering perfect protection from the elements, a feature we could not find anywhere else. With all the places to hide, invaders could gather before making a targeted attack on one of the few ports in the island where you can actually enter from the sea to the land….but not before climbing the fortresses carved out of the sandstone cliffs.

The armies of the crusades would stop in Malta on their way to Jerusalem and the injured would return to Malta to get medical attention. The Templar knights of the crusades had several orders including the “Hospitallars” which built the first hospices and hospitals on Malta to care for the travelers. On our bicyle tour of Valleta, we stopped in to a shop with Spiteri on the marquee and asked to speak with Mr. Spiteri. The nice man offered to share his story of the origins of Spiteri. Apparently during thereign of the “Hostpitilaris”, the knights would see a beautiful woman and observe her for weeks until one day he finally went into her house where he then removed his boots and placed them at the front door. This meant that there was a knight inside the house and no one, not even the father or family was supposed to enter. Then after 9 months or so the children of the knights or the Spiteri’s came to Malta from this not very traditional family arrangement. While this may or may not be the real history, it was certainly the most charming story coming from the old gentlemen I met on Malta. On our second night on anchor after being boarded by the Maltese police from their boat, they looked at my surname on my passport and with a smile said “welcome home”. It was fun to see all the shop windows owned and operated by a Spiteri. Officials, mechanics, and other friendly island folks all asked me if I was related to someone they knew.

The cultural history of the island is rich as it is diverse. Once you make your way up to the fortress of Valleta, you are surrounded by monuments built (or rebuilt) by French, British, Spanish monarchs and the like. The more impressive ones are the churches of the evangelists St John, St. Paul, and the palace of the knights of St. John where the grand master lived. The language is a mix of Arabic and Italian and everyone speaks fluent English and drives on the left side of the road. The style of the colorful fishing boats looks Egyptian with the wooden Turkish “eye” on each of them for protection. The Maltese people are deeply religious and mostly catholic and it is hard not to stumble onto a beautiful church while strolling the town.

So like my ancestors a long time ago, I chose not to make roots in Malta and sail onward. In our case we catch a westerly wind towards Greece.