Podcast: Sun, Sea and Stone in Malta

Stranded in the Mediterranean between Europe and North Africa, Malta has always attracted curious travellers. It has been colonised by everyone from the French to the Phoenicians, its culture, language and architecture shaped by many civilisations – but even more than this by the rocky land itself. Malta today is full of intriguing contradictions: a southern European culture with a Semitic language; a deeply Catholic population with some impressively progressive social policies; and home to both harmonious limestone cityscapes and monolithic concrete hotel complexes.

In this episode of The Rough Guide to Everywhere, host Rebecca Hallett explores Malta’s architecture, looking at how it's evolved and what its future might look like. Will the rise of tourism in this island nation damage its centuries-old architectural heritage? Or is it just another challenge to be faced, something else to add to the mix which makes up this unique, beautiful and sometimes strange culture?

Keep reading and see our guide to the best things to do in Gozo — a picturesque island located in the Maltese archipelago.

Let us know your experiences of this complex and charming country with #roughguidespod.

Subscribe to The Rough Guide to Everywhere now (iTunes; Soundcloud) to make sure you don't miss any more of Series Three. Episode 6, looking at the often-overlooked human stories of the Galápagos Islands, will be out August 13. Get in touch with us on social media, and please do rate us on Apple Podcasts. (You can rate every episode, so if you love one in particular, let us know!)

Thanks to the Malta Tourism Authority, Dr Nik Soukmandjev, Konrad Buhagiar, of Architecture Project, our producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening, and assistant producer Femi Oriogun-Williams.