A marker pointing towards Galicia in Spain has been placed near the entrance to Fort St Angelo, indicating it as the final local stop along the Camino Maltés before setting off towards Sicily.
Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, recalled that last January, it was announced that Malta had been added to the list of starting points for the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route that can be initiated from different starting points in several European countries.
“Thanks to the initiative of several local entities, including Heritage Malta, our country is now one of these starting points, with a route named Camino Maltés, which is around 3,600km long and also includes Sicily, Sardinia, and Barcelona,” Minister Bonnici said.
The Maltese segment of the Camino Maltés route is approximately 35km long. It starts at Saint Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, then on to Żejtun, Fort St Angelo in Birgu, and finally across the harbour to Valletta, where pilgrims catch the ferry to Sicily. More than 300 people from over 15 countries have walked the Camino Maltés in the first months following its inception.
Fort St Angelo was chosen as the home of the marker because of what it represents: the links to the Knights of St John, the service and raison d’être of the Order itself, the maritime routes, its position in the Grand Harbour, its link with Birgu, the Three Cities, and Valletta, as well as local pilgrimages and what they represent.
The Camino Maltés initiative, led by the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade via the Embassy of Malta in Spain, is a collaborative effort including Heritage Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority, and Xircammini, Malta’s official association representing the International Federation of the Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago.
The marker was unveiled at a ceremony attended by Daniel Azzopardi, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the Kingdom of Spain, Jose Maria Muriel Palomino, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Malta, Gabriel Baltar, Honorary Consul of Malta to the autonomous region of Galicia, Noel Zammit, Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Malta and Carlo Micallef, Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority.
Photos (MHAL)
