Monday, June 2

Valletta: The City Built By The Knights of the Order of St John

Passenger ferry to Valletta Malta
Passenger Ferry from Sliema toValletta, Malta
A stroll around Malta's capital today of the fortress city Valletta.

We went the most interesting way, via ferry from the town of Sliema. The first thing you notice as you approach the peninsula on which Valletta stands are the solid city walls.

Valletta shares it's early history with the rest of the island. Immediately after the end of the Siege of Malta in 1565, the Knights of the Order of St John decided to found a new city on the Xiberras peninsula to establish their position in Malta and bind the Knights to the island. The city was named after Jean Parisot de Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565.

Town Walls at Valletta Malta

I'll let the photos speak for themselves, most of the buildings were built in the 1500s.

Steep stepped streets in Valletta, Malta

Valletta Malta

Where Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived in Valletta, Malta
Where the English Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived in the early 1800s
Mercedes-Benz Valletta Fashion Week
It was Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Valletta, Malta
Archway to the Palace in Valletta
Entrance to the Palace in Valletta built between 1571 and 1574
 and formerly the seat of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta,
now houses the Maltese Parliament and offices of the President of Malta
Courtyard of the Palace in Valletta Malta
Inside to the Palace Courtyard
Valletta Capital of Malta

Church Valletta Malta

Siege Bell Monument, Valletta
Cruise ships at Valletta Malta
Cruise ships
Valletta Malta
I'm not too sure what that is in the sky! Click photo to enlarge
Valletta Malta

City walls Valletta Malta

One of the things that crops up over and over is the part Malta played in the second world war. The following two photos show acknowledgement to this from Britain and the USA. The plaques are from the Palace walls.

George Cross award to the people of Malta by King George VI
King George VI award of the George Cross to Malta
Letter from Franklin D Roosevelt to the people of Malta
Salutation from USA President Franlin D Roosevelt 
I'd recommend a trip to Valletta if you are ever nearby. From the opposite side of the city - to where we started - there is another ferry that will take you to, what they call, the Three Cities. We did this on another day and these cities are older still than Valletta.

The photo below shows how Valletta is built on a peninsula and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. The boat in the picture is the ferry returning from The Three Cities to Valletta.


Photos: © Mike Perry

Other Malta Posts:
The Cannon Went Off And Malta Turned Magical
The Maltese Fisherman Who Visited Heaven
The Billionaire And The Indian Empress In Malta Coincidences
A Pilgrimage To St Paul's Grotto In Rabat, Malta
Valletta: The City Built By The Knights of the Order of St John

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4 comments:

  1. Suzie11:40

    I asked more photos and got them! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are plenty more photos but I think I'd better vary the posts a bit now,

      Delete
  2. Wow, these photos are stunning. Malta looks fascinating. More pics, more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Malta is full of history, though it's not everyone's cup of tea.

      Delete