Where pale gold meets sapphire blue

VALLETTA, Malta ― In the bustling streets and alleys of Valletta, throngs of tourists stroll between centuries-old buildings made of pale, golden limestone, often with sweeping views of the sapphire-blue Mediterranean in the background. Defensive walls line the rocky shores of Malta's peninsular capital, which stretches northward into the shimmering sea. On the southern side of the capital, towering stone walls rise above deep moats that separate the city from the rest of the island. Within thes