Malta The Red Tower, Malta

Standing high above the landscape of northern Malta, St Agatha’s Tower – better known as the Red Tower – is one of the island’s most distinctive historic landmarks. Its intense red exterior makes it immediately recognizable, especially when warm evening light catches the building, as in this drone shot.

The tower sits on the Marfa Ridge near Mellieħa, overlooking Għadira Bay and the channel towards Comino and Gozo. Its elevated position was no coincidence: from here, guards had an excellent view of approaching ships and could communicate with other defensive towers across the northern Maltese islands.

Sunrise is easily one of the best times to photograph the Red Tower. The low light intensifies its already striking color and creates a beautiful contrast against Malta's much more muted rocky landscape.

A drone opens up particularly interesting compositions here. Rather than photographing the tower directly from above, flying slightly beyond it and looking back towards the coast reveals why the tower was built in this exact location. Including the Mediterranean and surrounding countryside gives the historic building much more geographical context.

For this composition, the vertical frame works especially well: the rocky foreground leads towards the glowing tower. At the same time, the coastline and enormous amount of open sea and sky create depth behind it.

The Red Tower is located in Mellieħa in northern Malta, making it an easy stop when exploring this part of the island. Its position on the Marfa Ridge also provides panoramic views towards Comino and Gozo.

The interior can also be visited. Malta's National Trust, Din l-Art Ħelwa, manages it and carried out extensive restoration work after taking responsibility for the deteriorating building in the 1990s.

For photographers, however, I would definitely plan the visit around sunrise and sunset. That's when the Red Tower really earns its name.