Mellieha Dusk

I had this spot in mind before I even got to Malta. There was something about the way Mellieħa sits on the hill, with the Parish Church of the Nativity of Our Lady up high and the roads curling around it, that I knew I wanted to shoot—especially at dusk on August 26th, 2024, when the lights start flicking on and the town takes on a completely different feel.

Mellieħa Parish Church dominates the hilltop—its distinctive twin bell towers visible for miles. The church dates back to 1881, though there's been a church on this site since at least the 17th century. At 360 feet above sea level, it's one of Malta's highest points, overlooking Mellieħa Bay and the Mediterranean stretching north toward Sicily, just 50 miles away. The town itself is Malta's largest village, spreading down the hillside in terraces of honey-colored limestone buildings.

This was the first night of the trip. The sky was still holding onto the last bits of color, fading from soft pinks to deep blues. The air was warm, a bit sticky—typical August in Malta—and there was this quiet hum all around, just everyday life slowing down for the night. I remember standing there watching it all come together: the streetlights illuminating the winding roads, the church towers catching the last twilight, Mellieħa Bay barely visible in the distance.

With my camera at the ready, I shot a 3.2-second exposure. The longer shutter captured the warm glow of the streetlights against the deepening blue of the Mediterranean evening sky. It felt still, almost like the whole town had paused. It's one of those moments that makes you stop—not for a dramatic reason, just because it feels real. Familiar, even if you've never been there before.

This photo captures that calm you get as day ends in a Maltese hilltop village. The church softly lit on its 360-foot perch, the roads traced by streetlights, and the colors in the sky shifting gently from day into night. It's a moment of peace showing Malta's quieter side, away from the busy tourist areas down in St. Julian's and Valletta.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that Mediterranean evening calm—standing on Mellieħa's hillside as the Parish Church's twin towers glow against the twilight, where Malta's largest village settles in 360 feet above the bay, with Sicily just visible across 50 miles of darkening sea.