Some people love their home based on its size or features, while others prefer to look outwards to enjoy its location and views. Here, Jo Caruana meets two homeowners who are particularly fond of the vistas beyond their four walls.

For such a small country, it’s quite incredible how many diverse views Malta has to offer. From the quaint baroque-style backstreets of Valletta, to the sprawling open countryside of Dingli, to, of course, the incredible sea views that stretch around the coastline.

For the people who live in each of these locations, these views really mean something. They eat their breakfast overlooking the kafuffle of the street below, or quietly read a book watching the waves lap the beach. Each vista has something unique to offer, and each attracts a certain kind of person.

With that in mind, meet two sets of homeowners, with two very different outlooks. Here, they each explain what they love about the views before them, as well as how these vistas helped shape the design of their homes and, to some extent, their lifestyle.

Mauro and Petra Gasan live in Żebbuġ with their baby daughter Faith. Mauro is the managing director of Petite Events, while Petra is the sales and marketing manager.

“We really love countryside views, and we knew it would be lovely to see some greenery from our house, so we considered that when looking for the right property,” says Mauro.

“As it turned out, though, our view is quite different and actually incorporates everything from the buildings in Gudja right up to Verdala Palace near Buskett. Aside from everything else, this is the most dense area in the country when it comes to local festi, so the summer months give us plenty of opportunities to spend our evenings enjoying time outdoors watching the fireworks.

“Our view played a very important part in our decision to buy this house. Before we moved here, we were living quite close to the sea, so we had something of a sea and city view to look out on. As we’re always so close to the sea in Malta, we wanted something that was a little different, and this area seemed ideal.

“The property itself is lovely, with some beautiful features and lots of open space, but the view and outside area sealed the deal. We love to entertain, and think that the right view makes all the difference.

“It also gives us a fantastic sense of space that we’ve tried to recreate indoors. We’ve designed one large open-plan living, kitchen and dining room, and we’ve made the most of the natural light that streams through the windows across all angles of the house. This is helped by the fact that ours is one of the tallest properties in the neighbourhood, so there’s also a fantastic sense of privacy to be enjoyed; no one can look in, and there are no obstructions when we look out.

“Of course, as they say, the grass is always greener and we would love it if we could see more green from our house, as you can in so many foreign countries. Unfortunately, we lack that in Malta, but I do think we’ve managed to find the next best thing!”

Ian Borg, who works in the sports betting industry, lives with his dad, John, in a sea view apartment in St Paul’s Bay.

“If I had to pick my ideal view, it would probably be somewhere along the West Coast of the US. I’ve seen pictures that friends took of their time in California and it looks incredible. Alternatively, Iceland looks pretty impressive too. Locally, though, I love the cliffs above Golden Bay, especially at sunset.

“The fact that we have a sea view is one of the things I love best about this house. Our previous home was inland and didn’t have one, and that turned out to be the main reasons why we left. Having been used to living next to the sea most of my life, it’s really quite hard not to be able to look out of a window and see it. Sea views are amazing all year round, as both thesummer and winter weather is wonderful to watch. I also think it gives a sense of openness that you can’t find anywhere else in Malta.

“We do have balconies off almost every room, which is nice, but there are no large terraces. This makes it harder to enjoy the outside space, and it’s pretty much limited to drinks or sunbathing (when it’s not too hot, that is). Other than that, we make use of the communal roof, which has 360-degree views from the eighth storey. It’s the perfect spot for a night-time BBQ.

“Indoors, I don’t think the views were taken into account much, although the furniture is positioned to make the most of the outlook from the sofa or dining table. It’s great that the windows are all large enough for us to appreciate the vista from indoors, and is absolutely brilliant for storm watching!”

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