Tarxien is part of the sprawl south of Valletta, where Malta's towns have grown into each other, and it is hard to tell where Fgura ends and Tarxien begins. Together they hold more than twenty thousand people, plus Santa Luċija close by. The reason a rider comes here is under the houses: the Tarxien Temples, a Neolithic complex dating from about 3600 to 2500 BC, one of the great prehistoric sites of the Mediterranean.
The temples are famous for their carvings. Spirals, animals and processions of goats and pigs are cut into the stone, and there was once a statue of a huge seated figure, of which only the lower half, in a skirt, remains in place, with a copy; the original is in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. Excavations began in 1913, when a farmer's plough kept hitting large stones. The site now has a protective canopy, which gives shade and keeps the weather off the limestone.
The riding in this part of Malta is slow and urban. Roads are narrow, one-way streets abound, and drivers do as they please, so patience is essential. Parking is limited, but a bike can usually squeeze into a corner. Beyond the built-up area, the road to the Marsaxlokk fishing harbour, a few kilometres south, is a pleasant run, with colourful luzzu boats painted with an eye on the bow and a Sunday fish market.
Petrol stations turn up in Fgura and around Paola and Żabbar, and so is food. Try pastizzi, the flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas, from a corner shop, and ftira, the island's bread, filled with tuna and olives. The heat from June to September is heavy, so stick to mornings. Winter brings occasional rain and wind but it is cool and quiet. Malta is small enough that you can see most of it in a weekend, so there is no need to hurry.