13th January 2012 – Valletta
Tony and Tatiana in front of the Triton Fountain. Outside Valletta’s City Gate and opposite the bus station.
Building work at Valletta’s City Gate. The current City Gate, dating from the 1960s, is being replaced and a new parliament building is being constructed alongside.
View along Republic Street (Triq ir-Repubblika, in Maltese). This is Valletta’s main street, which runs straight down the middle of the city. It is lined with shops and is often crowded with people.
Tatiana standing in the very tall doorway of St Francis of Assisi Church. Located on Republic Street. Building work started in 1598 and it was completed by 1607.
Entrance of the National Museum of Archaeology, located on the left side of Republic Street when walking from the City Gate. This building was formerly the Auberge de Provence.
Lion statue with a drinking fountain below. Located in St John’s Square (Misraħ San Ġwann), in front of St John’s Co-Cathedral. The statue was sculpted out of the native limestone by Maltese sculptor Mariano Gerada (born 1766, died 1823). Gerada also carved a unicorn fountain of similar design that is located in the same square. Both were erected in 1820.
Tony and Tatiana in front of the lion fountain.
Tatiana standing under a tree on the edge of St John’s Square.
Tatiana outside the entrance to St John’s Co-Cathedral.
View of St. John’s Square, with cafés on either side, and straight ahead is a side street in the direction of the City Gate.
Tony and Tatiana outside St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Tony and Tatiana in front of a bust of former Maltese Prime Minister Enrico Mizzi, sculpted in 1964 by Vincent Apap. Located in the centre of St John’s Square.
The front of St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Tony and Tatiana touching the unicorn fountain in St John’s Square. Sculpted by Mariano Gerada in 1820.
Tatiana standing at the side of Merchants Street (Triq Il-Merkanti), Valletta. A long straight street with shops and cafés. It runs parallel to Republic Street.
Inside the small church of St Mary of Jesus. It is a Franciscan church built in the early 1570s. It is situated at the junction of St John’s and St Ursula streets.
A side altar. St Mary of Jesus church.
Looking up at the elaborately decorated ceiling, including paintings and gold gilding. St Mary of Jesus church.
View of a building with traditional covered wooden balcony windows (known as ‘gallariji’). Near St Mary of Jesus church.
14th January 2012 – Valletta
A souvenir shop on Republic Street.
Another view of building work at Valletta City Gate.
Outside the Church of St Barbara on Republic Street. It was built for the Knights of the Auberge of Provence and dates from 1573.
Tony and Tatiana outside the Church of St. Barbara.
Doorway of St. Barbara church.
Front of Valletta’s modern law court, Great Siege Square.
The Great Siege Monument: designed by Antonio Sciortino in 1927. It is located in Great Siege Square beside St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Close-up of the Great Siege Monument.
Tatiana next to a stone column, part of a building on Republic Street, on the edge of Republic Square.
Tony and Tatiana in front of a statue of Queen Victoria in Republic Square.
Tables and chairs in Republic Square – they belong to Caffe Cordina, Valletta’s most famous café. The National Library is situated behind.
View of fountains in the middle of St. George’s Square and the Grand Master’s Palace behind.
Tony, Tatiana and the Grand Master’s Palace.
The Main Guard, a neo-classical building with Doric columns and a portico front in St. George’s Square, opposite the Grand Master’s Palace, which is the official residence of the President of Malta
An expensive department store front in Republic Street.
15th January 2012 – Valletta
A man playing a musical instrument (probably an oboe) outside the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.
Outside the Church of St. Catherine of Italy. Built to a design by Gerolamo Cessar in the 16th century. The Baraque façade shown in the picture was added in the early 18th century. Originally built for the knights of the Italian langue.
Tony and Tatiana outside Our Lady of Victory Church. A historical church built around 1566 to a design by Gerolamo Cessar after the ‘Great Siege of Malta’ (1565). Valetta’s first church.
The baroque stone façade of the Auberge de Castille, partially obscured due to building work. It is now the Prime Minister’s office.
Tony and Tatiana by a canon outside the former Auberge de Castille.
A round fountain in the middle of the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
Tatiana on the edge of the fountain, Upper Barrakka Gardens.
Some of the fortifications around the perimeter of Valletta.
The Grand Harbour. Senglea (L-Isla), one of the Three Cities, can be seen opposite.
Tony and Tatiana with a backdrop of the Grand Harbour behind.
View of the Saluting Battery below the Upper Barrakka Gardens. A row of canons facing the Grand Harbour.
View across the harbour looking into the inlet that separates Senglea and Birgu (Vittoriosa). Many boats moored including large luxury yachts.
Looking down at a military frigate docked in the harbour.
View across the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
A tree planted on the occasion of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s diamond wedding anniversary in 2007. Upper Barrakka Gardens.
Tony and Tatiana by the central fountain in the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
Tony and Tatiana in the Upper Barrakka Gardens. Behind is a bronze statue of three children. It is titled Les Gavroches (The Urchins) and is by Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino (1849-1947).
Palazzo Parisio built in the early 18th century. Today it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Grand buildings on Zachary Street (Triq Iz-Zakkarija), which is between Republic Street and Merchants Street.
Large doorway of the Palazzo Castellania on the corner of St John’s and Merchant Street. It is now the Ministry for Social Policy.
Inside Angelica café.
16th January 2012 – Valletta
Zachary Street looking towards St John’s Square and the cathedral. Balcony windows overhanging.
Outside St John’s Co-Cathedral (St John’s Square). This was the church of the Knights of St John in Valletta, with a chapel for each langue (the eight language groups the knights divided themselves up into). It was commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière and construction was completed in 1577. In the second half of the 17th century the interior was aggrandised in the new Baroque style. Italian artist Mattia Preti was responsible for much of the decoration, including the six-section barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Inside St John’s Co-Cathedral.
View down the main aisle of St John’s Co-Cathedral. Very elaborate decoration on the walls and ceiling.
The cathedral floor covered in colourful inlaid marble tomb stones. They belong to knights and date from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Looking up at the richly decorated ceiling, painted by Mattia Preti.
View towards the main altar.
The main altar from a different angle.
Chapel of the Langue of Aragon, looking towards the altar.
The ceiling of the Chapel of the Langue of Aragon, again elaborately decorated.
Tony and Tatiana in the Cathedral Museum.
“The Pub” Ollie’s Last Pub at 136 Archbishop Street, Ambrosia Restaurant next door, opposite one side of the Grand Master’s Palace. It’s an English style pub, but closes at 6.00 pm during winter.
17th January 2012 – Paola and the Tarxien temples
Tony and Tatiana outside Paola parish church.
The lower half of a ‘fat lady’ statue at the Tarxien Neolithic temples site. Originally the statue would have been two metres tall. It is actually a copy as the original has been moved to the National Museum of Archaeology.
A room within the Tarxien temples site, including stone carved with a spiral pattern. The site contains the remains of four Neolithic temples that were uncovered by local farmers in 1913-14. They date from between 3600 and 2500 BC.
Looking through a series of excavated rooms within the Tarxien temples complex.
Looking down at a stone object, like a large bowl. Tarxien temples complex.
Tony and Tatiana on a walkway within the temple site.
18th January 2012 – Floriana
Christ the King Monument, Floriana. Floriana is an urban area immediately outside Valletta’s city walls.
A water feature and fountain, Maglio Gardens, Floriana.
Maglio Gardens, Floriana.
19th January 2012 – Valletta
Another view towards the National Library in Republic Square.
Tatiana by a red postbox and public telephone in Republic Square. They date from the period of British rule that ended in 1964.
Neptune’s Courtyard, Grand Master’s Palace.
Statue of Neptune in the centre of the courtyard.
Entrance to the State Rooms and Armoury, Grand Master’s Palace.
The side of St. George’s Square by Archbishop Street.
La Borsa or Chamber of Commerce on Republic Street.
The courtyard garden of the Casa Rocca Piccola. Located at 74 Republic Street, on the right side of the street as you walk towards Fort St Elmo, the street is narrow and there are many steps. It’s a five minute walk from George’s Square. It’s a 16th century palace and still the Marquis de Piro family home. Open to the public with guided tours available daily. More information at www.casaroccapiccola.com.
The doorway of the Casa Rocca Piccola after the guided tour.
One of the long straight streets that run down the length of Valletta, parallel to Republic Street.
Tatiana in front of the fountain with an eagle in the corner of St. George’s Square.
19th January 2012 – Mdina
Part of the historic defensive wall around Mdina town with an area of park in front.
A public park outside the entrance to Mdina.
Looking towards the Main Gate leading into Mdina. It dates from 1724.
A horse and cart offering rides to tourists at the Main Gate.
Tony and Tatiana at the Main Gate.
Courtyard outside the main entrance to the Vilhena Palace, now the National Museum of Natural History. Mdina.
Vilhena Palace courtyard, including a piece of artwork depicting a butterfly.
Looking up at carvings above the Main Gate into Mdina.
Torre dello Standardo, a historic tower on St Publius Square just inside the Main Gate. It now functions as a tourist office. Historically it was used to flag up the danger of consairs or Turkish invasion to the population of the surrounding area.
A narrow side street in Mdina.
Tatiana outside the doorway to a house in Mdina.
Street view: buildings with balconies above.
The large red door to a building on Villegaignon Street. In typical Maltese style.
Tatiana standing on Triq Villegaignon in Mdina.
The doorway into the Carmelite Church and Priory. It was built between 1660 and 1675.
Outside the Carmelite Church and Priory.
Tony and Tatiana in front of a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (only the base of the statue is visible). Outside the Carmelite Church and Priory.
Another view outside the Carmelite Church and Priory.
Tatiana and Tony on a narrow street: Triq Santa Sofia. They are in front of a short covered section as the street passes beneath a building.
Tatiana by a suit of armour outside the Maltese Falcon shop.
Tony and Tatiana next to the suit of armour.
The courtyard of the Palazzo Falson, a historic house museum. The oldest parts date back to the 13th century.
Tatiana, Baston Square, Mdina.
View of the surrounding landscape, looking over the defensive wall at Baston Square. Mdina is on a natural ridge in the centre of Malta and commands excellent views over much of the island.
Another very good view across the island: below countryside and beyond that the extensive urban sprawl around the capital Valletta and the Three Cities, and finally the sea in the far distance.
A door into the Cathedral of St Paul, Mdina. The cathedral, designed by Lorenzo Gafà, was completed in 1702.
Tony and Tatiana outside the cathedral.
A large painting above an altar inside the cathedral.
A memorial plaque inside the Cathedral of St Paul.
The interior of the cathedral looking towards the main altar.
A statue inside the cathedral (possibly of St Paul).
Tony and Tatiana beside a canon outside the Cathedral of St Paul.
Tony and Tatiana outside the entrance to the Xara Palace Hotel.
20th January 2012 – Valletta
View along St. John’s Street at the junction with Republic street. St. John’s Co-Cathedral is on the left side.
Eagle fountain in St George’s Square.
Tony and Tatiana outside the Manoel Theatre entrance. The theatre is at 115 Old Theatre Street between Old Mint Street and Old Bakery Street.
Looking up at rows of gilded boxes inside the theatre. The theatre was commissioned by Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena in 1731.
The theatre’s elaborately decorated ceiling.
Inside the Manoel Theatre. Tony and Tatiana resting in chairs.
Looking towards the stage. Manoel Theatre.
The altar of the Sanctuary Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The original church on this site dated from 1570, but it was destroyed by World War Two bombing and was later completely rebuilt. The new church has a 42-metre high elliptical dome.
Interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – including rows of seats and marble columns.
Tatiana sitting in a large wooden chair inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
A side altar in the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Looking up into the dome, Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The side of a building with traditional wooden enclosed balcony windows (gallariji).
The side of St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral. This is Valletta’s Anglican cathedral, built between 1839-44. It is located at Independence Square.
Doorway of the St. John Ambulance headquarters, Independence Square.
A short flight of old-looking stone steps in Valletta.
Buildings looking down on Marsamxett Harbour.
View from Valletta across Marsamxett Harbour to Sliema. Construction of a large residential and retail development at Tigne Point can be seen.
View of Fort St Elmo, which is located at the tip of the peninsula that Valletta is built on.
22nd January 2012 – Gozo
Courtyard of St Joseph Home Hostel, located at Ghajnsielem, near the ferry terminal.
Tatiana at the front gate of St Joseph Home Hostel.
War memorial dedicated to Gozitans who died because of enemy action during World War II. Located at Independence Square, Victoria (Rabat).
Tony and Tatiana next to the war memorial.
View of Independence Square. The semi-circular Baroque Banca Giuratale is at the far side. This was built in 1773-8 under Grand Master de Vilhena and is now the seat of the local government.
A temporary sculpture in Independence Square – a half-sunken star, with three points visible.
Tony and Tatiana standing in Cathedral Square, at the entrance to the Citadel in Victoria (Rabat). The cathedral is visible behind. It was built between 1697 and 1711 on the site of an earlier church.
View across the countryside of Gozo from the Citadel, which is located in the centre of the island with good views in all directions. The fields look green and lush due to the winter rainfall.
View across Victoria from the Citadel. Away in the far distance, the smaller town of Xewkija can also be seen with its massive Rotunda church built between 1951 and 1971.
Tony and Tatiana at the Citadel. View of countryside beyond.
View down the side of Cathedral Square from the cathedral steps towards a clock tower built into the Citadel’s walls.
Tatiana standing on the terrace at St Joseph Home Hostel, evening.
23rd January 2012 – Gozo
Tony and Tatiana with bags ready to leave on the hostel terrace. View of fields going downhill to cliffs and the sea below.
View of the small island of Comino from the Gozo to Malta passenger ferry.
The Gozitan coastline as seen from the ferry.
Tatiana standing on the ferry deck.
Ferry arriving at the Cirkewwa ferry terminal on the north-west point of Malta.