Inside is one of the most dazzling Baroque interiors anywhere in Europe. Upstairs are accessible galleries covering the Bronze Age and Phoenician eras.Ī little further along Republic Street is the Knights’ church, St John's Co-Cathedral. Here you will find the extraordinary 5,000-years-old 'Fat Ladies of Malta', and other statues, reliefs and stone furniture from the unique Maltese Temple culture. Let’s get behind the walls of some of those Valletta buildings – starting with the historic home of the Provencal Knights of Malta, now the National Museum of Archaeology. Back on the waterfront, visit Fort St Angelo – which spans more than 800 years of Maltese history – before motoring back across the harbour (this time without the tour) in another dghajsa. From here wander through the Collachio, the Knights' own area, which was once out of bounds for women and is still a very traditional district. Stop in the square for a coffee at St Lawrence Band Club – where, as in each Maltese parish, the local band meets in preparation for the annual festa. The Knights' first base in Malta, this medieval mini-city is a gorgeous place for a spot of loafing. You'll putter beneath the towering bastions of Valletta, past the shipyards, and in and out of the creeks of the Three Cities – before rounding the corner beneath the freshly cleaned face of Malta’s oldest fortress, Fort St Angelo, to disembark in Birgu/Vittoriosa. Grab a coffee and pastry at the Upper Barrakka kiosk (you'll want to leave plenty of room for supper) before taking the Barrakka Lift down to Customs House and hopping into a traditional Maltese dghajsa – a six-seater brightly painted wooden boat – for a tour of the Grand Harbour. And of course, it’s only a short ride to the beach. There’s also the City Gate redevelopment, designed by star architect Renzo Piano (of London's Shard fame) including an ultra-modern parliament building and an open-air theatre inside the bombed-out shell of the Neoclassical opera house.īuzzing bars spill out onto the city’s limestone alleys, concerts frequently grace its copious churches, and the restaurant scene serves up everything from scrumptious traditional snacks to Michelin starred menus.
Valletta has an extraordinary density of sights and activities from 5,000-year-old 'Fat Lady' statues, to the ornate Baroque legacy of the Knights of St John from Bastion-top gardens to boat trips on the Grand Harbour. A Unesco World Heritage site steeped in history, Valletta has recently undergone a 21st-century revitalisation with lots of new boutique hotels, restaurants and restoration and renovation of historic sites and museums. The Maltese capital, surrounded by sea and 16th-century bastion walls, has an enduring charm all of its own.
0 kommentar(er)
