IN MALTA IT FEELS LIKE THE FUTURE NEVER ENDS
In Malta, it feels like the future never ends — this is the title of the article published in Marie Claire that we are pleased to share with you once again.
It struck us for the unique way it portrays our beloved island of Malta.
An authentic and fascinating story we want to share with all the curious minds.
Malta is a blend of temporal and physical spaces — past, present, and future.
The old buildings are never lost; they layer over one another, connecting with the new and with what is yet to come. The past remains, rekindles, and merges with the glitter of the contemporary — with glass buildings and architectures that defy gravity.
In Malta, it feels like the future never ends — construction sites upon construction sites, amid crowds of people who always have something to celebrate, as if they already felt part of that promised future displayed on all those billboards filling the streets.
The silent sounds of the excavators are a background soundtrack, one you only hear if you focus.
The louder sounds belong to the present: electronic music, house music, punk, and an endless constellation of Italian songwriters from various eras.
They, in turn, form the backdrop to countless birthday songs sung in chorus, or to the shouts of future brides and grooms offering shots to toast their farewell to single life.
And then, in the morning, fishermen with their embroidered nets walk the same streets in the opposite direction of those returning from nights that have just turned into mornings.
Malta is delirious — it seems simple to understand, but it isn’t. Its past is everywhere, and its present is overpowering.
Valletta, with its magnificent Baroque, reminds you of this.
But even there, it’s not only Baroque you see: you find English, Spanish, and Arabic styles in the inlaid wooden decorations, in the closed balconies called gallarije — born when Islamic culture settled on the island, used to observe life outside without being seen from home.
Malta is a constant meeting and crossing of past and present, wrapped in a future that seems ever imminent.
The old warm stone and the new concrete mixed with iron and glass coexist, creating a heterogeneous style — like a puzzle made of different pieces that fit together perfectly.
The Mercury Towers complex, designed by Zaha Hadid, is the latest of these pieces.
Completed in 2022, it features two towers: the lower one, connected to the central structure, houses the ME Malta — the island’s first luxury lifestyle hotel — which spans 20 floors and boasts a central rooftop pool restaurant on the 8th floor and the panoramic Radio Rooftop restaurant on the 20th.
The second tower hosts serviced apartments managed by the hotel, as well as restaurants and recreational facilities, and stands as the tallest building on the island.
To the north, it faces the Mediterranean and Europe; to the southwest, it looks toward the center of the island, toward Rabat — the old fortified capital where the history of two continents has passed.
Zaha Hadid, of Iraqi origin, knew well what it meant to keep that thread taut, reconnecting the past to the increasingly frantic movement of the present — to look courageously toward the new and the unknown, while keeping a steady gaze on one’s roots.
She knew that in Malta, this dualism is the true key to understanding the present.
In the 1980s, opportunities for young graduates were few, and for many, Malta was their first experience away from home.
From there, the island opened itself to the new — to youth and to a future aligned with Europe’s capitals.
On the seventeenth floor of the ME Malta in the city of St. Julian’s, from my room I can see the center of Valletta, I can see its architecture changing.
From the massive yellow Baroque stones, the buildings gradually rise higher and shinier; colors blend, LED lights begin to flash intermittently, and the music grows louder in sync with the setting sun.
It feels as though the city is getting ready for something — I can sense the frenzy in the air.
The sidewalks start to overflow, merging with the traffic.
The asphalt is lit up by the glow of the bars; there’s no longer any clear order — people take over the squares and streets. and The Mercury Towers light up and, like beacons, illuminate every road.
Article by Angelo Camillieri.
(Source: marieclaire.it)
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