The Enclosed Balconies of Malta

I’ve been going on and on about Malta’s covered balconies since our visit last month; whether responding to comments here on the blog, posting pictures of our visit on Facebook, or blabbering on the phone with my parents, I just can’t stop gushing about the damn balconies.

It’s for good reason that I can’t shut-up -they are very cool! However, I started thinking that the people I’m talking to that haven’t had the chance to visit Malta may not completely understand what I’m talking about – or why I keep talking at such lengths about some silly balconies. Therefore, before moving on to discuss our adventures in Belfast and Northern Ireland, I’m going to take a moment to share a (primarily photo based) post with you featuring some of my favorite shots of Malta’s lovely covered balconies.

While exploring Malta, I tried to control my urge to photograph every enclosed balcony we came across – with nearly every house featuring a balcony it’s impossible to stop and inspect each one.

In addition to being unique and charming, I love that the balconies are all painted different colours. While the homes in Malta are predominately built of creamy coloured limestone, the wooden doors, shutters, and balconies are given a coat of shiny paint – making each home a unique reflection of its owner. While  forest green appeared to be the most common colour, Travis was partial to a bright sky-blue balcony near our hostel. I on the other hand couldn’t possibly choose a favorite!

Being so abundant in Malta, one would think that the enclosed balcony has an interesting history; however, an internet search turned up little helpful information. For an interesting read about the balconies, their history, and more colourful photos, check out this informative post by Sherry Ott of Otts World. After much searching, she was able to unearth some interesting anecdotes about these Maltese Balconies.

Do you have any theories into what these balconies were used for? Have you ever come across something similar on your travels?  Let us know in the comments!