For such a small island, slightly over a third of the size of NYC, Malta has been a prominent feature throughout history for a laundry list of reasons. Modern Malta has picked up several new roles in the world including a leading role in blockchain development, although one of the most lucrative over the years has been movie production. Here are just a few of the real locations in Malta you can go visit for yourself!
Fort Ricasoli
Starting with Malta’s most prominent film connection, Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator has more than a few scenes around the island. The film, released in the early 2000s, is still the standard for historical pieces and has inspired all kinds of media, not least of which are over half a dozen slot games like Gladiator: Road To Rome. In fact, the franchise often turns up in lists of top movie-themed slots.
The most iconic scene, the fight in the Colosseum, was filmed primarily in the historic Fort Ricasoli in the town of Kalkara. This 17th Century fort has actually stood in for a number of classical locations over the years, also acting as Troy in the film of the same name, plus Alexandria in 2009’s Agora. It’s also set to be back in action for Gladiator 2.
Valletta
The capital fortress city of Malta, Valletta has been the backdrop of more than a few pictures both as itself and a stand-in for many other cities. As itself, it was most recently famous as the location of Jurassic World Dominion which featured velociraptors running through the city streets. However, it has proven more popular for the semi-Mediterranean, semi-Arabic aesthetic which makes it usable for a whole range of other locations.
Most notably it served as the base for Jerusalem in the huge zombie epic World War Z, which had nearly a full quarter of the city closed for the production. It also turned up for small parts of Gladiator and featured as the streets of the Spanish city of Valencia for the ill-fated Assassin’s Creed movie.
A Few Other Places
Not strictly a movie but easily equal in terms of scale, Malta got a lot of attention as the location for a large portion of the Game of Thrones production. For instance, the ancient walled city of Mdina lent its famous gateway and bridge to King’s Landing, as well as a few courtyards within the city itself. There are a number of other palaces and forts around Malta that also feature, although there’s at least one iconic location that you won’t be able to visit anymore.
The Azure Window, a huge stone arch with a sea view on the northern island of Gozo, was the backdrop for Khal Drogo’s Dothraki wedding near the start of the series. However, thanks to years of tourist activity, some of which predated the show but which was undoubtedly amplified after it, eventually led the structure to collapse into the sea a few years back.
So there you have it! If you’re a fan of the big or small screen, consider giving Malta a look for a wealth of movie locations!
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