When flying back to Malta earlier this week, I was looking through Air Malta’s in-flight magazine and my attention was drawn to a gorgeous picture of Valletta, centered on the illuminated dome of the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the spire of the Anglican cathedral.

Unfortunately, this vista can only be enjoyed by those tourists that visit during the week of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as during the rest of the year the dome is cloaked in darkness.

How much can it cost to illuminate those iconic buildings year round and make this spectacle available to all visitors? And, if the electricity bill really goes up too much, we should consider turning off the illumination ofthe rather inconspicuous building on Manoel Island to compensate.