Nowadays, if one has to cross over by boat from Italy, one can only do so by catching the Virtù Ferries catamaran from Pozzallo, Sicily.

This means that if one lives in the north of Italy, or any country up north, and cannot, for some reason, travel by plane, one has first to come down the Italian peninsula before crossing over to Malta.

Although this may be quite a serious problem for tourism, it does not concern me personally as I usually cross over from Sicily.

My problem, which might seem trivial to some, is that I travel with my two dogs which, according to Virtù Ferries regulations, have to travel in the garage where, especially in summer, the temperature can reach 40°C and the noise can become unbearable even for humans whose hearing is much less sharp than that of dogs.

Animal lovers will certainly agree with me that some dogs are used to staying with their owners and suffer greatly to be parted from them, especially if placed in a location which is completely alien to them. I have often brought up this issue with Virtù Ferries, pointing out that in such a big catamaran as the Jean de La Vallette there can surely be a small area where two dogs at a time, shut in their carriers, can travel together with their owners who will be happy enough to pay their fare. The answer has always been an obstinate “no”.

Apart from my personal problem, I know of many foreigners who cannot come to Malta because of what I, and many like me, consider an unjustified and cruel decision.