THE FACTS ABOUT DE MONDION

Malta

Go in the summer months and you are likely to dine to the accompaniment of fireworks from the plain below - the Maltese appear to have an endless succession of festivals in August. As the sky lights up and the bangs echo all around, you can enjoy the view from the rooftop restaurant of this elegant hotel, set in a 17th-century palazzo adjoining the walls of the fortified hilltop city of M'dina. The food is mainly Italian, with excellent pasta and fish dishes, and the service smart; but it will probably be the sight of the lights of Valletta far below that lingers in the mind. CONTACT De Mondion, Hotel Xara Palace, Mdina, Malta (00 356 21 450560; fax: 452612; www.xarapalace.com.mt). Open Mon-Sat 7.30pm-10.30pm. About Lm30 (£48) for two, without wine