Snapshots of … More shop-fronts of Valletta

I don’t know whether you agree with me but I find the old shop-fronts of Valletta endlessly fascinating. Without knowing it, it seems that I’ve taken it upon myself to photograph all the ones I can find before they disappear forever.

Snapshots of … Traditional Shop-fronts of Valletta

It’s been a long time. But I think it’s finally time to come back here and share more of Malta with you. I’m starting off with something very close to my heart: the traditional shop-fronts of Valletta. They are hard to find these days and some of them are in a less than pristine condition. But that’s what  makes them all the more beautiful and mysterious. They make me wonder just what types of wares used to be sold behind those crumbling wooden shutters.

So tell me, which are your favourites?

The Pink Persian

No matter how many times I’ve wandered though the streets of our capital city, it seems that Valletta never ceases to surprise me. Sometimes I wonder if my eyes have just been opened to the wonder of it all. This pink shop front literally made me stop dead in my tracks. I had passed this way many times before. Was it  really possible that I could have missed such a whimsically painted store all those other times?

But now my curiosity is even more piqued. What went on behind that pink facade? Maybe it used to be a restaurant. Or a dance hall. Or possibly a store selling belly-dancing costumes. If only I could find a clue … but this city guards its secrets too well. I will just continue to wonder while looking forward to the next closely guarded secret that Valletta will reveal.

Ruby Tuesday: Shop Front

Up to now I have mostly shown you Valletta in sepia. But our capital city boasts its own bursts of colour. Like this bright red shop front in lower Merchants’ Street.

True, it is decaying and it has been locked and barred for years. But I dream that, one day soon, the wood will be restored and it will be re-painted in a gleaming new coat of ruby red paint. Sometimes I dare to dream that this shop will be mine and I will fill it with eclectic treasurse created by true artisans and in one corner I will have a section for vintage items, lovingly restored, waiting to find new families that will cherish them once more … I am such a dreamer.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of a little corner of Valletta. For more Ruby Tuesday posts from around the world, please visit Mary at Work of the Poet.