Put on your walking shoes for an adventure in the center of Valletta Malta in what could pass as an open-air museum! A guided walk of the Barracca Gardens and Valletta Center, as well as entrance into St. You will meet your guide outside your Valletta cruise port, your air-conditioned transportation would take you on the very short drive to the historic center of Valletta, the southernmost capital
of Europe! Named for Jean de Valette who was responsible for the victory in the Great Siege of 1565, the architecture here ranges from Baroque to Modernist, with an incredible array of churches, palaces, and museums. Your guide will be giving you information about the area, city, and history of Valletta Malta. Your guide will walk you along the busy streets of Valletta to Barracca Gardens. The gardens were originally as a site for the knights of the Italian langue of the Order of Saint John to relax and enjoy some recreation but were opened to the public following the end of the French occupation of Malta in 1800. In the park, there are several monuments and memorials to a number of prominent people, including Gerald Strickland, Sir Thomas Maitland, and Sir Winston Churchill. There is an upper and a lower gardens section. From there, you will have a stunning panoramic view of the Grand Harbor, which has been in use since prehistoric times. This is where the Battle of Malta was fought in the 13th century. Just a short walk from Barracca Gardens is your next stop, St. A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedral, with another cathedral, often in another city. The cathedral was commissioned in 1572 by Jean de la Cassiere, Grand Master of the Order of St. It has undergone a complete restoration and is one of Malta's most popular sights. Do not let the ordinary, rather plain exterior fool you as the interior is extremely ornate. The interior has intricate marble carved stone walls, columns with 3-dimensional statues, bronze sculptures and even the tombs of 400+ knights and officers of the order. At St. John's Co-Cathedral, you will see the painting "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist", which is one of Caravaggio's masterpieces and the only one he signed. After years of struggle, in 1606 this famous painter killed a man during an argument. Rather than face justice, he fled Rome for Naples, eventually moving to the island of Malta. In return for the painting of the beheading, he was granted a papal pardon for the murder and membership of the Knights of Malta. This famous artist was none other than Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio, Caravaggio being the place of his birth. Before returning to your Valletta cruise port, you will watch the Malta Experience Show, a 1-hour movie presenting a wealth of information about the island and its history!
