Malta Unwrapped

26/10/2024

Shout out to our newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Joseph Zammit, Joseph Bonnici, Rina ORtaz, Raymond Grech

14/10/2024

Perched over the Grand Harbour, this watchful guard tower has seen centuries of history unfold. The Gardjola’s symbols tell a story: the eye for guardianship, the ear for observance , and the crane bird for protection.

09/10/2024

Step into a world of timeless elegance at the stunning ballroom of Palazzo Parisio! ✨ Once a home for Maltese nobility, this breathtaking room boasts intricate details, golden chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors that reflect centuries of opulence. 🏰

Whether you’re a history enthusiast or just love discovering hidden gems, this ballroom will transport you to another era.

06/10/2024

Walking the Nix Mangiare Steps in Valletta, where every stone tells a story of struggle and survival.

The name, meaning ‘nothing to eat,’ reflects the desperate conditions of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when this area became a gathering point for the city’s poorest residents. Many who climbed these steps were destitute, hoping to receive alms or secure enough food to get by.

Street vendors and charitable locals would often provide whatever they could spare, but the steps became a symbol of poverty and hunger in Valletta.

Today, they stand as a poignant reminder of the city’s enduring resilience, a place where hope flickered even in the darkest times.

19/09/2024

Lost in the timeless beauty of Mdina’s narrow streets. 🏰✨ Wandering through these alleys feels like stepping back in time, where every corner holds a story.

25/04/2024

12/04/2024

The house of the Baroness, located in the limits if St Leonard, Zabbar, was originally intended to be used as a convent but was never utilised as such. The origins of the complex go back to the construction of St Leonard chapel in 1656, from which the name of the locality derives. The chapel once held the paintings of St Sebastian and St Roque, which were stolen in the 1980s and are now on display at the Zabbar Sanctuary Museum.

The structure and adjacent plots of land were owned by Baroness Maria Casici Casolani in the early 20th century and were used as a country, hence the name the house of the Baroness.

Various additions were constructed, including the stome wall and gates surrounding the garden, which datea back to 1905. The residence with its tower and loopholes is a reminder of countryside villas which required protection against corsair attacks.

The structure was abandoned in the post war years, save for the chapel which served the ecclesiastical needs of residents until the 1970s. It was later featured in a local tv series and is now known as the Nun’s house.

The house was scheduled as a Grade 2 monument in 2006, however, it has been left exposed to the elements and subjected to plundering and is now in ruins.

11/04/2024

The Majestic cinema theatre was located in St Anne’s square, Sliema. It was originally called the Harding Cinematograph and was built in c.1908, making it one of the oldest cinemas on the island.

Another cinema, bearing the same name and also owned by Harding was located in St George’s square, Valletta. By January 1897, the Valletta cinema was already in use.

Today, only the facade remains, the foyer and auditorium having been replaced with a shopping centre.

05/04/2024

30/01/2024

The Niche of All Souls (Niċċa ta’ l - Erwieh or Niċċa ta’ l - Infetti in Maltese) in Birkirkara, was built in 1816 to remember all the victims of the 1813 plague.

Between April 1813 and September 1814, the Maltese were hit by the Plague which resulted in 4572 deaths. Birkirkara which was one of the most populated villages, registered 281 deaths.

The niche was built with the help from the Parnis family from Birkirkara, who had bought the land for 9 skudi (approx. €2.19). The niche was inaugurated on 1 November 1916, and many people from Birkirkara attended, most of which lost relatives to the plague.

The niche is 25 courses high and is accessible through a staircase attached to the side. Inside the niche is a painting, depicting all souls in purgotary.

02/01/2024

05/12/2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! 🎄

22/11/2023

After the first rain … magical!!

29/10/2023

This monument was erected in 1787 on the initiative of the knight Anacleto Dei Conti Zarzana, to commemorate the fallen knights of the 1565 Great Siege of Malta.

The monument also remembers the victims of the plague outbreak of 1676. The plague resulted in approximately 11,300 deaths, making it the deadliest epidemic in Maltese history.

21/09/2023

Happy Independence Day Malta!

16/09/2023

Blackley’s, located in Valletta, was a typical British Baker and Tea Room. A scrumptious selection of British cakes, bakes and pastries was served here.

📷

09/05/2023

Hompesch Hunting Lodge (locally known as Id-Dar tal-Kaċċa), is an 18th century hunting lodge in Naxxar.

It was built on the request and at the expense of the reigning Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St John, Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim.

The hunting lodge is modest in its architecture. It features a main door leading to the entry of the house and another arched wider door which was used as a horse stable. The first floor façade features a small window and a balcony, which is today plastered in cement.

Today, the building is in a dilapidated state.

📷 Continentaleurope

08/05/2023

Villa Macedonia is a one storey villa in Balzan. It was built by Count Bernardo Manduca Piscopo Macedonia Zammit in 1934 as his personal residence.

On a frieze above the portico there is inscribed VILLA MACEDONIA MCM###IV (1934).

On one of the corners of the boundary wall, there is a large stone niche with a statue of Our Lady of Forsaken Souls (in Maltese - Madonna tal - Abbandunati).

#1934