What to buy in Malta, from filigree to Gozo lace

It’s very easy to come home from Malta with a suitcase full of Maltese cross magnets and nothing that says anything real about the place. Which is a shame, because the islands have crafts with centuries of history. Visitmalta explains that local crafts have enjoyed a revival, not just as souvenirs but for their cultural value. Here’s what I’d buy and where.

Filigree, the most precious craft

Visitmalta is clear about it. Gold and silver work flourished under the Knights of the Order, and filigree and jewellery are Malta’s most precious production today, with Maltese goldsmiths exporting to major cities abroad. If I wanted one good piece to take home, this is what I’d choose.

On Gozo, the Ministry for Gozo describes a family workshop at Ta’ Dbiegi working Maltese filigree in 925 sterling silver and 18-carat gold, with pendants, earrings, rings and bracelets. Buying where it’s made lets you ask questions and see the work.

How can you tell genuine Gozo lace?

Bobbin lace, il-bizzilla, took off on Gozo in the mid-1840s, according to the Ministry for Gozo. It’s worked on a tall pillow of straw and paper called a trajbu, in linen for the home and silk for clothing. In 1862 Gozo lace came first in its category at the International Exhibition in London, and the Ministry notes that Queen Victoria ordered pieces in the 1830s.

Two clues for buying well. First, a design with the eight-pointed cross of St John, which these days indicates the lace is Gozitan or Maltese. Second, the price. The Ministry for Gozo puts it plainly, price is highly indicative of quality, and you should ask for the authentic product. Handmade lace takes hours, and if it costs the same as a magnet, it isn’t handmade. The story behind that symbol is in my guide to the Maltese cross meaning.

Two crafts villages

On the island of Malta, the crafts village is Ta’ Qali, in the middle of the island. Visitmalta lists workshops there, such as a pottery studio in the Crafts Village, and suggests it as a stop on day trips for cruise passengers.

On Gozo, it’s Ta’ Dbiegi in Għarb, below the island’s highest hill. The Ministry for Gozo gives fourteen reasons to go, including pottery, filigree, lace and knitwear, a glassblowing studio with pieces in blues, reds and golds, leather, limestone carvings and a Gozitan produce shop selling carob syrup, honey and prickly pear liqueur.

Food and drink to take home

The easiest souvenirs to carry are the ones that keep. The Ministry for Gozo says dried Gozo cheeselets keep for a long time and are sold in supermarkets, Gozitan produce shops and by the cheesemakers. Before packing any dairy, though, check GOV.UK, because Great Britain has rules on bringing meat and dairy in from abroad. DOK Gozo wine, made only from island grapes, and honey are simpler. And a bottle of Kinnie is the most Maltese and cheapest souvenir I can think of. More in my guide to Kinnie and Cisk.

When and where to shop

Spain’s foreign ministry gives the usual shop hours as 9:00 to 13:00 and then 16:00 to 19:30 from Monday to Friday, and Saturday 9:00 to 12:30. Most shops close on Sundays and public holidays, but shopping centres and chains stay open at lunchtime and at weekends. Visitmalta adds that in tourist areas shops open from 9:00 to 19:00 or later.

The shopping streets visitmalta names are Republic Street and Merchants Street in Valletta, Tower Road and the Strand in Sliema, and central Victoria on Gozo. For big shops under one roof, I’d head to Tigné Point, on the tip of Sliema facing Valletta. For markets, as well as Sunday at the Marsaxlokk fish market, there are weekday morning markets in Birkirkara, Birżebbuġa and Cottonera.