Mario is a great host. He has a beautiful old stone house with high ceilings. (The traditional way to keep cool in Mediterranean climates, before air-conditioning) and the historic enclosed balcony.
Mario also is a pikeman in the In Guardia re-enactment of the Knights of St John. On Sundays, you may see him in his 16th-Century finery mustering in Fort St Elmo.
If/when I return to Malta, I look forward to seeing Mario again.