Popeye Village — The Original Film Set at Anchor Bay

In 1979 Paramount and Walt Disney needed a village that did not exist. Robert Altman found a cove on the north coast of Malta, and over seven months a construction crew built one: nineteen wooden buildings, with tree-trunk logs shipped from Holland and wood shingles from Canada, eight tons of nails and two thousand gallons of paint. Robin Williams played Popeye in his first leading film role, opposite Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl.

When the cameras stopped, the village stayed. Almost half a century later you can still walk in and out of the houses of Sweethaven, along the same crooked lanes, on the same wooden jetty over the same green water.

It is a proper day out rather than a photo stop. There are live animation shows, a cinema documentary about how the film was made, a Comic Museum, traditional games and mini-golf, and in the quieter months a silversmith at work and a scavenger hunt for the children.

In high summer the cove itself becomes the attraction: a water inflatables assault course, a floating sun deck, splash pools, sunbeds and umbrellas — all inside the entrance price, from 1 June to 30 September. Bring swimwear and towels in those months and you can easily stay the whole day.

And then there is Anchor Bay itself — a narrow inlet between high cliffs, with the painted houses stacked down one side of it. It is one of the most photographed places in Malta, and in the morning light it is at its best.