#luzzo

Check out my Ride & Review of this joint HERE first. Long story short: you can kip this place! The pepperoni slice is fine, but at $5-$6 a slice, this place is a rip off. I feel like you can do better at a good dollar slice joint. The toppings on this pesto and fresh mozz “Genovese” slice were nice, but the dough was a little gummy – maybe underbaked – and dense. Finally, the official name of…

More about Boats

Great care is taken with the details of the boats, some of it related to beliefs the islanders have (or, at least, had) about spiritual forces they face during the daily grind of fishing. Most of the vessels sport the ‘eye of Osiris,’ either painted or carved (or both), an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, related to the god Osiris, ruler of the afterlife and the god of resurrection and regeneration. Though the beauty of the boats, particularly as they rest on the deep blue waters of a placid harbor, belies the fact that fishing could be a deadly occupation. The colors and the eyes were intended to minimize that risk – or, if necessary, to make passage to the underworld a little easier.

Photos by Gordon Saunders

1. Dgħajsa 1

2. Dgħajsa 3

About those Boats

The Maltese have created their own nautical architecture, if you will, and much of it survives in the smaller harbors all around the island. One of the largest concentrations is at the fishing village, Marsaxlokk, a sheltered harbor near the northeast corner of the island of Malta. Though the size of native boats differs, and with each size a different name (the small ones, dgħajsa, and the larger ones, luzzo) the art and colors remain pretty much the same in all the vessels. Some of them seem to be floating there just so tourists can take pictures (first photo, above), but others are clearly working vessels.

Photos by Gordon Saunders

1. Dgħajsa 4