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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 201560
MALTA
MAXIMA TOURSNew to TAP this year, Maxima Tours started going to Malta in 2013, but company founder
Gemma Allan is from Malta, and her son and Maxima’s experience director, Damon Allan, is a citizen of the small island country, “so it’s not like we’re rookies,” he said.
Maxima spent more than two years putting together the itinerary, often calling on — and sometimes incorporating — relatives, such as Damon Allan’s great aunt, a nun who greets the group during a village feast to celebrate a patron saint.
Malta is an island in the Mediterranean 50 miles south of Sicily, but it isn’t Italy. It is an independent country with two official languages: Maltese and English. Over the centuries, the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Normans, Spanish, French and British have occupied the island, creating a rich and intricate history that awes visitors.
“We’ve got 7,000 years of civilization, so it’s a big wow factor,” Damon Allan said. “We have, arguably, some of the oldest temples in the world. We have temples that are 1,000 years older than the pyramids.”
Maxima limits the group to 17 to allow access to small sites. The trip includes a boat tour of Grand Harbor on traditional Maltese fishing vessels and a demonstration by a Phoenician-style carpet weaver. Travelers visit a man known as “the godfather of olive oil in Malta” for an olive oil tour and tasting, and go to a master cheesemaker’s farm, where they learn about the craft and even milk some animals.
The group spends time in the walled capital city of Valletta, which the Knights of St. John founded in the 1500s. In the silent city of Mdina — silent because the number of vehicles is limited — Maxima arranges for a drummer and two torchbearers to greet travelers at the city gates and lead them through the winding streets to cocktails and dinner.
By Sara OrmeBy By y SarSara Oa OrmrmeBy Sara Orme
LA ONEW ZEALAND’S HOBBITON WAS NNEWNEWNEW ZE ZEEALAALAALAND’D’NDN S HS HS HHOBBOBBOBBITOITOITON WN WN WWASSSASANEWNEWNE ZEZEALAALAND’’ND S HS HOBBOBBITOT N WN WWASSANEW ZEALAND’S HOBBITON WAS
CONSTRUCTED AS SET PIECES FOR CCOCONONNSTRSTRSTRUCTUCTU EDED AS AS AS SETSESET PIPIIECECEECES FS F FOR ORR ORCCONONSTRST UCTCTEDD ASAS SETSE PPIECEES FS FORORORCONSTRUCTED AS SET PIECES FOR
O T “THE HOBBIT” FILM SERIES.“T“TTHTHHE HE HE HHOBBOBBOBBITIT”T”I FIFIFILM LMM SERSERSERIESIESSIE ..““THTHE HE HOBBOBBITIT” FIFILMLM SERSERIESIES..“THE HOBBIT” FILM SERIES.
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61WWW.TAPINTOTRAVEL.COM GROUPGROUPTRAVEL LEADER
THE
COMPANY :
M A X IM A TO UR S
E XPER T ISE :
ME D I T E RR A NE A N
E XPERIENCE :
7 Y E A R S
“As Malta is our exclusive
product, I have to say Malta.
We began this program in 2013,
and it is very popular for 2016
and will continue to be a high
demand product for years.”
TAPEXPERT
TR AVEL
2 0 1 6 H I G H L I G H T S
DAMON ALLAN
By Peter Bullen, By By PetPeter er BulBulu lenlen, By Peter Bullen, ycourtesy Maxima Tourscouou trtesy sy MaxMaxM imaima ToTourrscourtesy Maxima Tourss
XIENDI TOWER SITS ON THE XXIENDIDIND TOTOOWERRWE SI SITS TS ON ON N THETHEXIENDI TOWER SITS ON THE
SEASIDE OF BEAUTIFUL MALTA.SSEAASIDSIDE OE OF BF BBEAUAUE TIFTIFUL UL MALMALMA TA.TASEASIDE OF BEAUTIFUL MALTA.