The best pizza in the world

Malta

I never expected that Malta would be the place where I would get to eat the best pizza in the world. After all, pizza is pizza, right?

Malta is just a stone's throw away from Sicily and the Italian influence is evident. Pizza, pasta, cannoli, espresso coffee are available everywhere. Marko and I knew better than to believe the giant sign that proclaimed the best pizza in the world above the restaurant where we were headed for dinner. We knew it was just a tourist trap. We were actually lured there by the smaller sign that offered free mulled wine with dinner. It was the holiday season and why not take advantage of a free drink?

It turned out that the pizza was really the best pizza I have ever eaten. The crust was thin and crispy, not too thick or too salty as is often the case with typical pizzas. The toppings were all fresh ingredients, such as sliced cherry tomatoes, rucola, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese. It was flavored with just enough good olive oil to keep it light and delicious. Since I didn't expect it to be anything special, I never bothered to take a photo of the restaurant or of the pizza itself.

And it wasn't just pizza that drew us towards Italy during our brief vacation on Malta. To wash away the taste of the terrible filter coffee that was served with our hotel breakfast, Marko and I spent each morning lazing away in a Sicilian coffee shop across the street. As we were drinking our espresso and tasting the cannoli, I couldn't stop wondering why we had never visited Sicily. Another place added to my list.

Malta

This should actually have been my trip to Morocco. I registered a long time ago to attend a conference in Marrakesh, Morocco and since the location sounded so exotic I knew I had to go. But a few months before the conference the organizers announced that the location of the conference was moved to Malta due to what they cited as unsurmountable bureaucratic difficulties. I have no idea what went wrong during the organizing process although I have a vague sense of how frustrating it must have been trying to get things done on the African continent.

My initial disappointment of not getting to see Morocco was quickly overcome by my eagerness to see Malta where I had never been before and it seemed exciting enough. I was thrilled by the beauty of the small island of Malta where a visitor can see remains of Roman architecture scattered everywhere over the island. And since the island is so small it takes only a half day bus tour to see all the major sights that there are to see. Unfortunately I did not have time to explore the museums, churches and other attractions so I think a week of vacation might be just the right amount of time to see everything and not get bored.

The people of Malta are very friendly, they all speak English since it is a former British colony, their currency is Euro and the country is a member of the European Union which makes it an easy travel destination for us Europeans.