For many decades Malta lived in the fear of what would happen to our successful tourism industry should Sicily decide to step it up and invest in infrastructure and numbers in its tourism product.  We knew that our product could not really compete with the authentic lifestyle and ancient culture next door to us.   In the culinary field alone, we knew that our restaurants were pricier and nowhere near the quality to be enjoyed by the shores of Syracuse, Cefalu or in the historic towns of Palermo, Agrigento, Catania and the class of Taormina.

Contrary to the ravaging of our soul here in Malta and Gozo, with the construction going everywhere and every way it wanted to do, Sicily kept tight control on preservation and avoided giving out precious land to speculators.  It could also be that the Mafia interfered in “normal’ market forces by making the sale of land and getting the permits sky high to the extent that it was not feasible or desired to get involved in such enterprise. Infrastructure is also absent in many locations.  In places you would need to build a road first in order to get the machinery in.

It also goes down the value that old families give to owning land.  Those who have it do not let go of it easily.  Their history and identity are often linked to the lands they own and work to use for its proper purpose, that of agricultural produce, vineyards and olive trees.

In the Medieval Ages much land in the Maltese Islands was held in fiefdoms of Sicilian merchants.

Investigative journalist Victor Paul Borg delves into the case of the Cosmana Navarro right to ownership which is causing much grief in Gozo.  He says it all started in the fifteenth century when two members of the Navarra family followed King Martin I from their home in Spain to Sicily. One of them, Andrea Navarra, then emigrated to Malta and was reportedly installed as governor for Gozo.  

It’s not clear whether Cosmana's land in Gozo, which was put in the foundation, was acquired at that time.

Whatever the origin of the present ownership, contrast how we in Malta and Gozo seek to exploit every possible crack to turn a quiet countryside or 400 years old farmhouse into cash by favoured developers.  It is of no worry to those developers that land is fast disappearing on our islands and people are left gasping for air or looking for a sky that was once blue.  For them, the yacht marina at Ragusa calls and a short crossing in their luxury cabin cruisers means that they can enjoy a lunch of fresh fish, drink the wine and impress their girlfriends or potential hook-ups on Tinder and then get back to Marina de Valletta and Birgu without any problem.

Not for them the 4 hour stint in the queue to get the ferry from Cirkewwa on the eve of the holiday long weekend.  Having destroyed Xlendi and descended on the quiet villages of Gozo with their condominiums with pool, shell form or finished to high standards with views across the channel or the cliffs of Ta’ Cenc, they calmly check the weather forecast and set sail to Sicily.

Other Maltese tourists who have tired of the noise and crowds on Gozo during a long weekend, or want to rake in the holiday rentals from their investment, will hop on a Virtu ferry and make their way around the attractions of Sicily from Mt Etna to shopping at the outlets of Catania.

It has not gone unnoticed either that prices in Sicily are cheaper than in Malta.  Henri Saliba, managing director of Virtu Ferries has said that there is significant growth in interest for freight services. 

“There has definitely been a wave of interest in Sicily from local retailers, importers and SMEs to service their clients at a cheaper rate and with faster delivery,” Saliba said.

“This makes sense in view of the increase in prices on everyone’s lips and also issues with delivery delays, not only for food, but also across the board, and even for car parts, for example.”

A simple price comparison of Lidl in Malta and that in Sicily will immediately confirm that prices in Sicily are cheaper.  Making a bulk purchase from Lidl in Sicily by-passes the container transport costs that remain high in Sicily as they are controlled by the monopolies there and goes straight to a kind of online shopping experience with low delivery costs via the fast ferry included. 

But it would seem that the intention of dumping all the developments on Malta and Gozo whilst keeping Sicily intact for Maltese tourists has become the trend.  Interest from Italians is being cultivated with the marina project in Marsascala and the proposed air strip in Gozo for light aircraft.  Owning a light plane will soon become the next fashion here whilst Italian business men fly in and out to meet the Prime Minister or Minister Ian Borg.

The tunnel has probably been discarded now in favour of a more upmarket and quick-to-build air-strip.  The many apartments sold in Gozo will still need to be united with their rentals or owners so another ferry will be necessary to keep up with the demand on ground level.

All seems poised to make Sicily the new hub.  Many Maltese are already turning their sights on purchasing property there, if they have not already. 

When will the people realise that Malta and Gozo have been ruined for them whilst Robert Abela strolls on the pontoon at Ragusa and enjoys his ice-cream?

What will the Maltese nouveau riche do in Sicily?  Will they be welcomed as affluent tourists or will snide remarks accompany them behind their back?  Even a Sicilian ice-cream seller considers himself above the peasants from Malta.  From our side, loyalty and national pride do not feature high on our interests.  Most important is that we can have a good meal, impress our friends and laugh all the way to the bank.

We all know the risks involved in doing business in Sicily.  Bank of Valletta has just lost the Deiulemar case worth €363 million security and will appeal.  That is Torre del Greco in Naples not in Sicily but shares similar profiles when it comes to business. 

A Maltese saying says, think twice and cut once.