Malta Culture 365

The Auberges were buildings which were used as hostels by knights of the same langue or language. In some cases, there were more than one auberge for knights from the same country especially in cases where there were many knights coming from disparate parts of the country such as in the case of France and Spain. The surviving buildings in Valletta are all used for some form of public office as explained further below. Auberge de Castile y Leon Auberge de Castille as it is  The building was originally constructed in the late 16th century by Girolamo Cassar originally for the langues of Castile and Leon. It was extensively remodelled by Grand Master Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca between 1741 and 1744. The auberge is built on the highest point of Valletta and is one of the most recognisable buildings locally. The site was originally planned to host the Magisterial Palace, but it was deemed to be too exposed and thus the palace was shifted closer to the centre of the city. The buildin...

 The Malta Railway The Malta Railway was the name of the company which ran the train line locally between 1883 and 1931 with a halt between 1890 and 1892. There were a number of stations along the single track between Valletta and Mdina, however the company went bankrupt in 1931 due to competition with the buses which were cheaper and a more convenient means of travel. First railway trip on 28 February 1883 There are a few sites and Facebook pages with information available such as  Alan Edwards'  page  Malta Railway 1883 - 1931  or The Malta Railway Foundation Facebook page amongst others where the information can be obtained from. Above road crossing in Attard Hamrun station Road crossing Princess Melita The contemporary map below gives a good idea of the extent of the rail and tram network at the time, however it is a bit difficult to comprehend in relation to the sprawl of development in the past 90+ years.  The Google map ...

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...