Things to Do in Europe

San Anton Gardens are the most beautiful of the few public parks in Malta. They surround an ornate palazzo built by Grand Master of the Knights of St John, Antoine de Paule, as his summer residence in 1636 – it’s now the official residence of the Maltese President – and were bequeathed to the public in 1882.

A sweet-smelling citrus orchard lies at the heart of the walled gardens, a tranquil haven in the middle of busy Attard. They are landscaped in a formal Italianate fashion, dotted with elaborate follies, sculptures and fountains, dissected by shady paved walkways giving shelter from the mid-summer sun. Some of the trees here are more than 300 years old and the twisted trunks of ancient jacarandas, cypresses and Norfolk pines line the paths, palm trees soar upwards and flowerbeds blaze with color all year around.

A small aviary and a petting farm enchant children, while bubbling ponds are full of flashing koi and turtles; ducks, geese and peacocks wander the grounds at will and lizards dart through the undergrowth. The gardens are a summer venue for open-air theater, including a Shakespeare season every July, and host Malta’s biggest horticultural show in May.

Venice is home to many important churches, including the huge Basilica of Saints Giovanni and Paolo (John and Paul). Known as “San Zanipolo” in Venetian, this Basilica was the setting for every Venetian doge’s funeral from the 15th century on, and is the burial site for 25 of those doges.

Santi Giovanni e Paolo was built in the 14th century on land donated by a 13th century doge. The church is enormous - one of Italy’s biggest - and contains artwork by notable Italian artists as well as several tombs. Because the church also holds a piece of a saint - in this case, one of the feet of St. Catherine of Siena - it rises to the level of “Basilica.”

Artists whose work appears in Santi Giovanni e Paolo include Bellini, Veronese, and two generations of Lombardo sculptors. Not only does a painting by Bellini hang in the church, Bellini himself is also buried inside. Other tombs in the church include 25 Venetian doges and the 3rd Baron of Windsor, who died in Venice in 1574.

One of Madrid’s leading art museums and most famous artistic training schools, the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Art, or the Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes San Fernando, features an impressive collection of 15th -20th century European art. Founded in 1752, the museum is perhaps most famous for its many Goya paintings – the Spanish master was the institution’s painting director for many years – and works include his ‘Self-portrait in front of the Easel’.

Over 1500 paintings and 570 sculptures make up the museum’s main collection, with a predominant focus on Spanish, Flemish and Italian artists. Notable artists include Leandro Bassano, Vincent Lopez, José Ribera, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Joaquín Sorolla, Ignacio Zuloaga, Velázquez and Haes, with sculptures by Mariano Benlliure, Picasso and Pablo Gargallo, to name a few. Further exhibits showcase around 15,000 drawings and prints, along with displays of silverware, jewelry and porcelain.

The museum building itself is also worth a second look – a grand baroque residence designed in the 17th-century by José Benito de Churriguera and retaining many of its rich original interiors.