Exploring Valletta: From Knights to Independence, A Journey Through Time
Valletta is a small city of 7,000 inhabitants, the capital of the island of Malta, located on a rocky peninsula on the northeastern coast of the island, surrounded by two deep gulfs that host the city’s ports.
Historical Background of Valletta
The first Neolithic settlements on the island date back to more than 7,000 years ago, although tangible signs of human presence can be found starting from around 1000 BC, when the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Aragonese settled on the island—all peoples of great cultural depth who, although in different proportions, have left the mark of their passage on the territory.
The foundation of the city dates back to 1566, when the military and religious order of the Knights Hospitaller chose this pleasant island to found a village to entrust to the orders of the Grand Master Jean de La Valette. The urban layout was designed by the architect Francesco Laparelli, sent there by Pope Pius V, and continued by his assistant Gerolamo Cassar, author among other things of the Co-Cathedral of St. John and part of the fortifications.
In 1568, La Valette died, and his place was taken by Pietro del Monte, who finished the construction of the walls in 1571 and named the village after its founder. In the 19th century, the island became part of the British Empire, immediately playing a strategic role in the military chessboard of the Mediterranean, which led to the opening of several bases of the English Navy, heavily bombed like the rest of the island during the Second World War by the German air force. Independence from Great Britain was signed in 1964, and ten years later Malta became a republic.
Valletta Today: A Cultural Hub
Today Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a cultural center of great importance, home to a university and a popular tourist destination, especially among young people. The historic center, which can be accessed from the City Gate at the southeastern end, is an open-air museum, characterized by very narrow medieval streets that lead to squares surrounded by churches and palaces.
Among these, the most interesting is the Auberge de Castille, former residence of the knights of the Langue of Castile, Leon, and Portugal, now the office of the Prime Minister of the Maltese government, which can only be admired from the outside. The symbol of the city, however, is the Co-Cathedral of St. John’s and the Museum in front of it, commissioned by the Knights Hospitaller to Gerolamo Cassar in 1572 and dedicated to St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the Order.
The façade is simple and austere, flanked by two bell towers, unlike the interior, completed at the dawn of the 17th century in the Baroque era by Grand Master Cotoner and frescoed by the Calabrian artist Mattia Preti, which are decidedly different from the initial ideals of sobriety promoted by the code of the Knights, at that time more concerned with competing in terms of exhibitionism with the churches of Rome. The Museum houses an extraordinary collection of Flemish tapestries and paintings by Caravaggio, including one of his masterpieces, “The Beheading of Saint John”.
Not far away stands the Palace of the Grand Masters, built without too many decorative frills by Cassar in 1571, which has very beautiful frescoed internal rooms, among which the Tapestry Room stands out, characterized by ten majestic Gobelin tapestries by Le Blondel depicting the New World, where the assemblies of the Knights were held. At the northeastern edge of the city is Fort St. Elmo, begun in 1551 in anticipation of the many attempted attacks by the Turks, but seriously modified due to damage over the years. Today, the structure houses the Police Academy and the National War Museum, with exhibits relating to World War II.
How to Get to Valletta
You can get to the island by landing at Malta International Airport, in Luqa but less than ten kilometers from Valletta, connected to the major European airports and served by taxis and public buses that shuttle from the center. To get around once you get off the ground, it can be a good idea to rent a car or a motorbike, with which you can freely travel around the entire perimeter of Malta, even reaching out-of-the-way spots, while a bicycle is the ideal means of transport for short trips. The alternatives are taxis, which are not exactly cheap, or buses, which are quite efficient.
Climate and When to Go
The climate is particularly favorable for those who love to stay warm, with winters mitigated by the warm southern winds coming from the heart of Africa that almost never let the temperatures drop below 10 degrees, and scorching summers, with temperatures constantly around 30 degrees between July and August. Rainfall is concentrated in the months between November and January, although rather moderate in intensity.
The best time to travel is the season from February to June, when the climate reaches the right mix between summer and winter, when prices are lower being in low season, and when Malta lights up due to the numerous events, especially religious festivals that bear witness to the strong Catholic history, such as the Feast of the Shipwreck of St. Paul, on February 10 of each year, which commemorates the disaster that brought the apostle to the coasts of the island; Carnival, celebrated with masks and allegorical floats that parade through the center; the Mnarja, or Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, which takes place between 28 and 29 June, when, between traditional Maltese songs and horse races, huge quantities of fried rabbit are consumed.
