Malta Culture 365

Borgo Vilhena as Floriana was originally known is many times considered a suburb of Valletta. Possibly owing to this it is significantly under appreciated and many times seen as little more than a thoroughfare through which one travels to get to one's ultimate destination. Nevertheless, Floriana is a gem in its own right as hopefully this trail will show.  Floriana's name came from that of Pietro Paola Floriani, an Italian military engineer who was commissioned to design the Floriana Lines after in 1632, Grand Master Antoine de Paule received credible information that the Ottomans were preparing themselves for another attack on Malta. Floriani's design resulted in a massive system of multi tiered fortifications which are still largely visible, if not completely accessible. Although there were many objections to his project, mainly based on the expense and huge garrison required to defend it, Floriani defended the project by confirming that it could shelter the entire popula...

Salt is one of the ancient commodities such that it brought prosperity to places where it was available. It was deemed to be so important that Roman legionaries were given part of their wages in salt, resulting in a word we still use to this day: salārium or salary. The origins of salt production around the Maltese Islands are unknown, which leads one to assume that the production of this primary good from a renewable source has been established from well before the formalisation of its production by the Knights. The name of the locality of Mellieħa comes from the salt pans originally extant in the vicinity of Għadira which are denoted as saline vecchie (old salt pans) in maps produced during the time of the Knights in Malta. Gian Franġisk Abela refer to them as primitive pans in his 1647 publication and from the description it appears they were located more or less where the bird sanctuary is today. One of the fresco paintings of the Great siege by Perez d'Aleccio  in the Grandma...

The Victoria Lines Walk The Victoria Lines are a line of fortifications that span across Malta. The intent of the North West Front as the original name of the lines was planned to be was to focus the defence on the south east part of Malta which was more heavily populated and had less beaches, and thus was more defensible. The lines run along a natural barrier known as the Great Fault and further defends this natural step in the landscape. This significant military endeavour spans across 12 kilometres and is for the most part easy to walk along taking in the vistas of the more rural part of Malta. The construction of the Lines commenced in the late 19th Century and they were inaugurated in 1897, the same year Queen Victoria had her Jubilee, hence their being named the Victoria Lines. The lines were deemed obsolete by 1907, a short time after completion and thus they remained untested and ...

The following is a list of stately houses and other palazzos which survive in Malta. Most of these buildings are used as residences or are private property and thus may not be visited except externally. Nonetheless, they are worth having a look at! This page is still under construction and will be updated from time to time. Palazzo Stagno, Qormi Palazzo Gomerino, Rabat Villa d'Argens, Gzira San Anton Palace and gardens, Attard Verdala Palace, Rabat Selmun Palace, Mellieha Il-Kunvent (Id-Dar tas-Soru), Zabbar Villa Curmi, Zejtun Villa Curmi, Triq Sant' Anġlu, Żejtun Palazzo Francia, Lija Villa Preziosi, Lija Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar Villa Bologna, Attard Palazzo Pescatore, San Pawl il-Bahar Villa Gourgion, Lija Villa Buleben, Zebbug Villa Frere, Pieta Villa Bologna, Marsaskala Villa Pisani, Birzebbuga Palazzo Dorell, Gudja Palazzo Bettina, Birgu Villa Agatha, Floriana Palazzo Manoel (Villa Leoni), St. Venera Villa Bonici, Sliema Villa Grognet...