10th Day - Valletta tour and "Hop on hop off"

Today we visited the capital of Malta, Valletta on a guided tour through the streets of the city.

The architecture of the city is essentially Baroque, and one of Valletta's defining features is its curious colored balconies, which stand out on the façades of buildings. The Maltese capital was carefully planned and built by the Knights of St. John, the oldest order in the world. As you walk through the streets of Valletta, it is inevitable to notice the strong Catholic character of the Maltese people. The capital, in fact, has 25 churches and numerous sculptures of saints and virgins placed at the corners of the main streets.

The history of Valletta dates back to the mid-16th century when the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Jean Parisot de La Valette, envisioned a large fortified city to defend the island from external attacks. When Charles V ceded Malta to the Knights of the Order, they settled in one of the Three Cities, Vittoriosa, from where they planned the construction of the great city. Following the Great Siege of Malta, Valletta began to be built next to the Grand Harbour in 1556. Only 15 years later, its bastions, Fort St. Elmo, and St. John's Co-Cathedral were completed.

The new location quickly grew in importance, and people from all parts of the island moved here seeking protection. Thus, Valletta became the capital of Malta in 1570.

During World War II, German and Italian forces bombed the city, destroying much of its historic center. The capital was rebuilt in the following years and fully recovered, becoming the important tourist and cultural hub it is today. In 2016, Valletta celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.

At the end of the visit through the streets of the city we witnessed the firing of the 4pm cannons.

The reports of each student have been collected in the following padlet:

PADLET with report of the visit

Authors:

Micoli Roberto - Fedele Luigi