Small but perfectly formed

According to Mark Stead, the Maltese islands are small, but perfectly-formed. Stead got a taste of Malta in 2003 and wrote this feature for the South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales):

A Quick quiz question to kick off with: What do you get if you cross the UK and Italy?
One answer is epic car chases in Mini Coopers, as evidenced by Michael Caine's group of blaggers in The Italian Job. Another - for the Welsh, at least - is epic soccer victories over the might of the Azzurri.

But although the footballing fraternity might disagree, perhaps the most impressive answer is Malta and Gozo - two tiny islands which wear a British influence on their sleeve, and in the shape of red phone and letter boxes and pubs and chippies with Brit-esque names without losing sight of their roots slap-bang in the middle of the Mediterranean. And they combine a justified pride in their centuries of history with a zest for modern life which makes the pair of Anglo-Italian islands a fascinating holiday destination. Malta, all 95 square miles of it, has a historic tapestry to devour - 7,000 years old, to be precise - and one which is crammed with legends, heroes and energy. Pioneers such as the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans have all had their moments here, and both it and Gozo are islands with a tale to tell at every turn as they shimmer in the Mediterranean haze.

The best place to start is Valletta, the Maltese capital - and the best way to absorb it is the Malta Experience video show, the perfect taster to what these islands have to offer. Considering Malta's diminutive stature, it's amazing how much time you need to really take in the feast of architecture Valletta has to offer - and equally amazing how much the city packs in. Valletta dates back to 1566, having been built by the Knights of St John - whose legacy can be found everywhere on these two islands - and contains within its walls the National Museum of Fine Art, Grand Masters Palace and St John's Co-Cathedral. And it's in the latter where one of the most lasting impressions of Malta can be found. I don't confess to being an art buff - anything but, in fact - but the awe-inspiring painting of The Beheading of St John by Italian master Caravaggio definitely demands more than a second look. The sheer power of it can only make you gawp.

The contrast between bustling Valletta and, almost at the heart of Malta, the second city of Mdina is a marked one. Mdina, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world, is tagged `The Silent City' and the feeling one gets while strolling around it can be, to say the least, eerie. It's not unusual to find the streets all but deserted, and the views to be had across the island from the city's ramparts are stunning. From here, you can really let the aura of Malta wash over you.

In contrast is the seafront town of Sliema - where Malta hits its fashionable groove and where home base for this particular trip, the excellent Crowne Plaza Malta hotel, can be found. Sliema, a short ferry trip across the bay from Valletta, boasts some of the best shopping and eateries the island has to offer and is one of the best places to start making the most of those spare euros. And speaking of ferries, if you think Malta is laid-back, try hopping across the water to its little brother, Gozo - just 14km long, less than 7km wide, and every bit as worth a visit as its sibling.

One of the beauties of Gozo is that, because it's so small, getting from A to B is a doddle, and that makes it very easy to take in all the island has to offer, even if you only have a short time there - and especially if the children are in tow. Top tips - take in Victoria, Gozo's capital and home to the only shops on the island; get acquainted with some of the best scuba-diving you're likely to find in the Mediterranean, all around the island; check out the Calypso Caves - named after Queen Calypso, who the legendary Ulysses was shipwrecked here with for seven years; and munch some grub. The food - particularly the seafood - on both Malta and Gozo is varied, fresh and excellent, trust me.

To sum up, these are two islands which are mere specks on any map, but three days on them is enough to consume a wealth of history while, at the same time, feeling you've only really scratched the surface. So, who said size matters?