The Maltese islands are situated at the heart of the Mediterranean some 90km south of Sicily. The islands are a melting pot of civilisations and have experienced a fascinating history stretching back thousands of years. The country has been inhabited since around 5,500BC and a significant prehistoric civilisation existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who, it is said, named the main island Malat, meaning ‘safe haven’. Later the islands were for centuries the seat o...