walk the cities w. www.thethreecities.org e. info@thethreecities.org f. fb.com/thethreecities
The Three Cities offer an intriguing insight into Malta and its history. Left largely unvisited, these cities are a slice of authentic life as well as a glimpse into Malta’s maritime fortunes.
The local communities here celebrate holy days and festas as nowhere else on the Islands. The most spectacular events are the Easter processions when statues of the “Risen Christ� are carried at a run through the crowd. The Maltese regatta here is very popular too.
The Three Cities can rightly claim to be the cradle of Maltese history, as they have provided a home and fortress to almost every people who settled on the Islands. The Great Siege of Malta was won here.
il-Birgu Take pleasure in simply walking around its immaculate, narrow streets, which are lovingly decorated with potted-plants while mixing with locals.
Malta Maritime Museum
It is housed within the Old Naval bakery in Vittoriosa, it drafts Malta’s maritime history which is tightly bound to Mediterranean Sea. It also illustrates the global nature of seafaring and its impact on society. The museum houses numerous artefacts highlighting different epochs, shaping Maltese seafaring trough paint, charts, evidence and sea technology evolution.
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freedom monument
The Freedom Monument is located in front of St Lawrence Church and next to the quay, where the final British military contingent set sail from Malta in HMS London. The monument is the creation of the distinguished Maltese sculptor Anton Agius and was unveiled on 31st March 1979. The present fine Baroque St Lawrence Church was built in the period 1681-1697 and was designed by the celebrated local architect Lorenzo Gafa (1638-1703). The first church on this site dates from 1090 and it was here that the Knights and the Maltese celebrated the end of the Great Siege in 1565.
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victory square
Centrally situated, Victory Square is known locally as ‘Il-Pjazza’; it is where Grand Master Jean de la Vallette intended to make his last stand against the Turks during the 1565 Great Siege. The green monument, erected in 1705, is known as the Victory Monument and commemorates the defeat of the Turks; the railing shows the sword and cross pinning down the Turkish crescent. The white statue is St Lawrence.
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Il Collachio
In 1533 the Order decided to set the Collachio on the eastern side of the city – dividing it into two socially distinct areas. The Collachio was a hard stone paved area that was reserved exclusively for the Hospitallers and delineated by square granite bollards – one of which still survives in Victory Square. This area embraced the Order’s most important buildings. These included: La Valette’s Magisterial Palace, Most of the Auberges, Palace of Conventual Chaplains, The Holy Infirmary, The Castellania – the Inquisitor’s Palace, The Armoury and Civil Hospital, The Bishop’s Palace, The Universitá, The Siculo, Norman House and the Great Siege Monument
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Inquisitor palace
It is one of the very few surviving examples of a style of palace found all over Europe and South America in the early modern period. Many of these palaces simply succumbed to the ravages of time or were victims of the anti-reactionary power unleashed by the French Revolution. The collection on display at the Inquisitor’s Palace aims to portray the salient aspects of Malta’s urban religious culture, placing particular focus on the early modern period and the impact of the Inquisition on Maltese society through the centuries. These two related themes are elucidated by means of a display that brings together the liturgical calendar with the most popular cults and devotions on the island. On the other side of the street, there is another beautiful and large church built in conjunction with the convent serving the Dominican community in Birgu.
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couvre porte
The ideal way to leave or enter il-Birgu, is through the impressive Couvre Porte. It consists of a complex system of 18th century gateways and also houses the Malta at War Museum and access to war shelters. The Advanced Gate dates from 1722 and has some of the best carved ornamentation on the island, in spite of the damage caused by the French in 1798, during their occupation. The elegant Couvre Porte was built in 1723 and the Gate of Provence in 1727.
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il-Birgu map
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Il-Birgu lies on one of the promontories jutting into Grand Harbour, opposite Valletta. At its tip is Fort St. Angelo, the oldest fortification on the Islands. The strategic position of both fort and city over the millennia has led some to call this area `the cradle of Maltese history’. Certainly settlers and rulers from the Phoenicians to the British all made use of the defences here. It was the first home of the Knights when they arrived in 1530. As such, it contains many important architectural riches. The Knights auberges, palaces and churches here are older than those in Valletta.
bormla
Walk around to admire it fully and this will allow you to truly admire its character and colourful history with many landmarks as witness.
Maltese Kiosk
In St. Margaret’s Square locally known as Ix-Xgħajra, there is a public garden and a typical Maltese kiosk. These kiosks are all about snacks and networks. Food and conversations. Queuing for a bite to eat or the daily inky newspaper. In this beautiful area one can find also two beautiful Chapels that of St.Joseph and St.Margaret.
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Bir mula heritage
Bir Mula Heritage is situated on St. Margerita Hill, one of the five hills of Bormla. From excavations at the site, many artefacts show that the site was inhabited from a very early age. Chert tools, red ochre, Neolithic sling stones, bones of animals and marine creatures and pottery show that the site was formerly, a site for settlers who had contact with the Sicilian Islands. Stone-works, graffiti and pottery indicate that the site was then a shrine or some spot integrated within the Punic cult. The Punic cultured residents remained long through the Roman era. The way the house is structured and the stone dressed tells a story in itself. Different storeys and rooms were accessible to different social classes, different genders.
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fort Verdala
HMS Euroclydon, known as Fort Verdala. Built between 1852 and 1856, Fort Verdala was to accommodate a garrison force of infantry and was armed with carronades and howitzers. The idea behind its building was that, to strengthen the wide expanse between the Margherita and Cottonera Lines. It was built in a way to incorporate the existing Firenzuola Curtain and the Santa Margherita Bastion with the new rear barrack blocks, walls and gate facing Cospicua.
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In World War I, Verdala was then converted into a prisoner-of-war camp. After the war it housed an element of Royal Marines and later served as naval stores. In 1940 it was commissioned as HMS Euroclydon, serving partly as a school for the children of naval personnel.
Gate of St Helen
The Main Gate of the Sta. Margherita Lines is an architectural treasure built in the eighteenth Century and consisting of three gateways leading to the centre of Bormla. An inscription above the gate records its history until it was finished in 1726. Then The Cottonera Lines were designed by Valperga as a five kilometre line of fortification that comprises of eight bastions that join the extremities of the front lines of il-Birgu and l-Isla from the Post of Castille to Fort St Michael. These were intended to encircle The Three Cities.
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Immaculate conception sanctuary
The collegiate is the chief monumental building in Bormla. It miraculously escaped the World War II bombing which destroyed most of the town. It is rich in treasure and houses an exquisite work of art the painting behind the high altar of Madonna and Child, by the 17th century painter Polidoro Veneziano of Abruzzo. The first church on the site dates back to 1584.
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St Paul’s Chapel
Originally a chapel, this small church dedicated to St Paul was built in 1590, more or less above Bormla’s wharf – from where many believe that St Paul left the Maltese Islands. Completely rebuilt in 1741, the present church is built on a circular plan in doric style. Among several paintings, this church is adorned by a rare masterpiece ‘The Conversion of St Paul’ by the last significant Maltese baroque artist Rocco Buhagiar.
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bormla map
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Bormla is the largest of the Three Cities on Grand Harbour opposite Valletta. Most of Bormla’s shoreline is taken up by the older dockyard - an area now being restored and developed. The city suffered extensive damage during World War II and although rebuilt, it has fewer inhabitants than in the pre-war years. The main building of cultural interest is the Collegiate Church of the Immaculate Conception, which is rich in exquisite works of art.
l-isla A couple of hours walking around Isla is a lovely experience.Exploring its local charm, alleys, churches, Grand Harbour views, gardens and ending up on the harbour seafront with a Mediterranean dish to enjoy.
Fort St. Michael
Fort St. Michael was built by the Knights of Malta between 1551 and 1565. It is one of the three forts defending the Knights stronghold in Grand Harbour during the siege, along with Fort. St. Elmo and Fort St. Angelo. The rebuilding and development of the fortified city of l-Isla after the siege continued until 1581. The name Fort St. Michael became associated with the landward bastion, the Galley Slave prison and Sheer Bastion.
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Nativity of the Virgin Mary sanctuary
The parish church, was most probably built by architect Vittorio Cassar in 1580 as a monument to the Christian Victory after the Great Siege of 1565. Pope Pius VI on the 21st May 1786 declared the church to be a “collegiata insignis�, while Pope Benedict XV in 1921 honoured the church with the title of Basilica. The church was destroyed by bombs in 1941, but was rebuilt and consecrated by Mgr Gonzi on the 24th August 1956.
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Niche & Alleys
Like most of the walled cities of Malta, the way to truly appreciate Senglea is on foot, and one will get lost in l-Isla’s beautiful Alleys and Several streets have steps which lead down to the stunning area of the waterfront. Niches mark not only the people’s faith in God, but also their fluctuating fortunes – and they are marking buoys of memory put in place by elders so that later generations should not forget.
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Maltese balconies
Walking through the streets one can notice the typical Maltese balconies that are colourful, enclosed, wooden, and on every single home. The elegant wooden balconies were used as a view point for families to catch up on what’s going on the street below. Today, maybe you will see baskets lowered from balconies for the baker to pop in a loaf of bread. This simple act saves the home owner several tortuous flight of stairs.
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Our Lady of Porto Salvo chapel
The church, dedicated to Our Lady of Porto Salvo (the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth), was primarily built in 1596. Then in 1670, Jesuits demolished the old church and rebuilt it together with a friary next to it. By time, and since it was in the care of the Oratorians of St. Philip, its dedication to Our Lady was forgotten and it became commonly known as the church of St. Philip Neri.
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safe haven gardens
These Gardens perched on the bastion with fantastic panoramic views over Marsa, Valletta, Grand Harbour and Fort St. Angelo. The gardens have palm trees and provide a spot to relax under the shade while enjoying the view. The gardens were planned by Grandmaster De La Sengle in 1551 with a lovely guard tower built on the tip of the bastions. The guard tower, ‘Il-gardjola’, has various symbols sculpted on it such as an eye, an ear and the crane bird, representing guardianship and observance protecting the Maltese shores.
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This small city, one of the Three Cities, stands on a narrow promontory jutting into Grand Harbour. The land was fortified in 1551 by Grand Master Claude de la Sengle. L-Isla, meaning the island or short for ‘peninsula’. During the Great Siege of 1565, l-Isla was protected by Fort St. Michael on its landward side. The heroic role played by its people led Grand Master Jean de la Valette to call it the invincible city. The parish church dedicated to the Nativity of the Madonna was rebuilt and retains its artistic heritage.
information
Malta Tourism Authority a. Auberge D’Italie Merchants Street Valletta VLT 1170, Malta t. +356 22 915 000 e. info@visitmalta.com w. www.mta.com.mt il-Birgu Local Council a. Auberge de France, Hilda Tabone Street, il-Birgu BRG1252 Malta t. +356 21662 166 +356 21662 266 e. birgu.lc@gov.mt Bormla Local Council a. “The Rest”, 2a Misraħ Santa Margerita, Bormla, BML1202, Malta t. +356 21663 030 +356 21672 222 e. bormla.lc@gov.mt l-Isla Local Council a. 2, Triq San Gużepp, l-Isla, ISL 1229, Malta t. +356 21662 424 +356 21662 566 e. isla.lc@gov.mt
A & S Water Taxis a. 19, Triq Kappillan Frangisk Azzopardi l-Isla, Malta m. (356) 99 491 291 (356) 99 247 447 (356) 99 893 134 e. info@maltesewatertaxis.com w. www.maltesewatertaxis.com Arriva Malta Public Transport i. Valletta Terminus, Malta t. +356 21 22 2000 e. enquiries@arriva.com.mt w. www.arriva.com.mt
notes
Concept & Design Luke Scicluna References visitmalta.com mydestination.com/malta discovermalta.org amaltaattraction.com touristlink.com/malta culturalheritage.gov.mt Birgu Local Council Bormla Local Council Isla Local Council