Hat-Tricking The SMOOM: Backpacking To Every Part Of Sovereign Military Order Of Malta🪖🗝🟥⬜️⬛️

“I’d like to see the world for once all standing hand in hand” – The New Seekers.

In my ongoing World Borders Series, the SMOOM – The Sovereign Military Order Of Malta was a peculiar and welcome addition. Way back in 2017, this was counted as country 156 on my wacaday tourist journey on planet earth. I first visited it from Malta away, but have now hat-tricked it by backpacking it at Italy away. I have to give the FULL NAMES of these two countries for you to understand the difference. I didn’t cross from Malta into Malta – that would be absurd. I first officially backpacked the SMOOM on the island of Malta. Malta and SMOOM are two totally different countries and both are fully recognised by the United Nations, but the SMOOM is unrecognised by FIFA. However, as a separatist and nationalist, I count the Sovereign Military Order Of Malta as a real country.🪖🗝🟥⬜️⬛️

Hold On – What is The Sovereign Military Order of Malta?

I was going backpacking through the Sovereign Military Order of Malta – an unusual country to tour – literally the ONLY United Nations recognised country in the world with no official land. It is an old order, with their own flag, coat of arms, currency, stamps, passport stamps and international recognition. They are recognised by OVER 100 United Nations members. Many have classed it as the “only official country in the world with no land”.

Are you serious? The country has NO land?

Well yes and no. The fact they have no “land” is not 100% correct as of course they have 3 knights, so those knights must live somewhere right? YES! The country has embassies all over the world, so you can see their presence. But a visit to one of their embassies is of course not their own land. Those embassies are in countries owning that land and therefore you can visit as many of their embassies as you want but you cannot say you have backpacked the country unless you have been inside residence of one of the knights. It was research time! So it appears, there are officially three parts of LAND owned, leased or rented by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Two of them border Italy at Rome Away and one of them borders Malta in Vitoriosso. In 2017, I backpacked the Maltese bordering part, and in 2024 I completed my hat-trick by backpacking both of the Italy bordering parts!

How can you backpack the Sovereign Military Order of Malta?

To properly backpack the SMOOM hat-trick, you need to visit all three of these places –

1.Fort Saint Angelo, Il Birgu (Borders Malta)
2.Palazzo Malta (Borders Rome, Italy)
3.Villa Malta (Borders Rome, Italy)

Once you have done that, you have completed the hat-trick, a feat I achieved finally in 2024!

Backpacking The SMOOM Hat-Trick

So now you know all about the SMOOM – let’s backpack it and nab a hat-trick! For all you budding crackpackers, whackpackers, backpackers, travel freaks and tourists, you really want to visit it and become a real tourist, so you have three main options to say you have backpacked to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. While it doesn’t have any land per say, it does have rent and leases on this hat-trick…two of which are bordering Rome in Italy.

1.Fort Saint Angelo, Il Birgu (Borders Malta)

I found out that one of the places where one of the SMOOM knights lives is a private 99 year lease on the ancient Fort Saint Angelo in the city of Vitoriosso in the Republic of Malta (which should not be confused with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta of course). So here in this huge fort in the Republic of Malta is a private section which is not open to the general public. It is private land, on a 99 year lease since 1998, so they have 80 years left of that lease. Although not open to the general public, a private guided tour is available on request to the information and reception area of Fort St. Angelo. When I heard about this, I asked immediately for a special private guided tour and my wish was granted. I was pretty excited ahead of my visit. The tour costs 5 Euros and you get issued with a ticket but no visa or passport is needed or issued. You must remain with your guide at all times. I backpacked that in September 2017 and wrote about it here.

On that trip, I backpacked in TWO different countries whilst remaining within the same fortress! Fort Saint Angelo! I crossed the border from the Republic of Malta (Malta) into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which is also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta!

2. Palazzo Malta (Borders Rome, Italy)

I finally visited Palazzo Malta in 2024 on my overland trip through 5 countries – Nice (France), Monte Carlo (Monacao), Bordighera (Italy), Seborga (Seborga) and SMOOM. To all intenets and purposes, this is the capital city of SMOOM.

This place basically acts as the “capital city” of the country with no land! Eh what? It has a capital? Well not exactly but with the headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta being located at the Palazzo Malta in Rome, Italy, then this is as near a visit to the country’s capital as you can get. In the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, this is the most important building and it is located near the Spanish steps at Via dei Condotti 68. The Order flag flies from the building’s exterior. It’s easy to get to and you can cross the border here on foot right up to the place where the Private Knights have a lease and actually reside.

The border door is only opened during business hours, so Monday to Friday around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I crossed the border on foot around 12 noon.

3.Villa Malta (Borders Rome, Italy)

After backpacking through the capital of SMOMM and the Knights Fort, I was staying in Rome in Italy. At dusk, I headed to the Villa Malta which is a building on top of a hill home to the Grand Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Villa Malta and the Palazzo Malta sit within the borders of Italy, so adding these to San Marino, Seborga, The Vatican City and the 2024 seceding of Venice, means that Italy contains a mammoth FIVE other countries within its borders!! I had a Corona beer for sunset at dusk on my way up the steps to backpack Villa Malta. This was the most touristic place out of the 3 SMOOM locations in the hat-trick. There was a queue at the gate and the park and gardens was busy!

As far as official status is concerned, both these venues bordering Italy owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta have been granted extraterritorial status of Italy – therefore they are separate – they are NOT part of Italy. And this is your loophole to backpack them and prove it and add another country to your list of Counting Countries. Italy is one of those aforementioned 107 countries that recognises the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and therefore they also recognise this place as part of that country. Villa Malta also contains the embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Italy, the irony on that is not lost either. I was able to get inside and see the Knights private office entrance, as well as the national car and the entrance hall.

There is a quirky thing here too – at the upper keyhole entrance you can see THREE countries in one keyhole.
1.SMOOM.
2.The Vatican City.
3.Italy.

And with much aplomb, that is how I managed to hat-trick the SMOOM! I have finished it now – completed the whole country! Here are a few videos from my SMOOM backpacking hat-trick: