Malta is a unique European island state, located at the crossroads not only of European and African trade routes, but also of cultures. If the borders of its neighbor Italy resemble a boot, the borders of Malta are like a footprint left by that boot. Indeed, Malta has left its mark in the history and culture not only Italy, but also Turkey, France, led by Napoleon, and, of course, Britain, a colony of which the country was a until the 70s of the 20th century.