Valletta By Night

As promised in my last post, I will show you some scenes of  Valletta after sundown. We locals like to divide Valletta into two parts: the upper commercial part and the lower residential part. In truth there are shops and residents all over Valletta and during the day there is hustle and bustle all over the city. But as night falls, the teeming streets quiet down and the echo of footsteps of a few strollers reverberates in the stillness. At night Valletta belongs once more to the ghosts of the Knights that built it. So come with me for a short walk through the lower city

past houses

and palaces

a trickling fountain

a church

and the old theatre.

(I would have liked to take you on a longer walk but the battery on my camera ran out which  means I have a good excuse to return soon and explore more charming nooks in the city.)

Omerta’ – A Secret Revealed

Omerta’ is defined by The Free Dictionary as a rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization. The word omerta’ has become synonymous with the Mafia and all its activities.

It also happens to be the name of a small restaurant which my husband and I discovered this past weekend. If quaint and cosy is the dining experience that you are after, then this small restaurant will surely not disappoint. Nor will the food. The fresh ravioli stuffed with prawns and lobster and served with a simple herb sauce that I had as a starter was divine – as was the rest of the food.

 

The atmosphere was quiet and intimate  – perfect for a romantic evening. The fact that the restaurant is housed in a converted 500 year old building was an added bonus which contributed to a wonderful evening. And when our meal was over, we strolled around and explored the oft-forgotten charms of our capital city. But more about that in a future post.

Omerta Trattoria & Wine Bar

92 Old Bakery Street

Valletta

Wayside Chapels (6) – The Nativity Of Our Lady at Fiddien

I could not find much information about this chapel except that a small church was built in the area in 1550 which remained closed for many years. The present chapel was re-built on the same site in 1615 by Gregorio Xerri and his wife. These days prayer meetings are held in the chapel.

       

 

The area where this chapel is situated is known as Tas-Salib (salib is cross in Maltese) because of the stone cross on a column situated just a few paces away.

The Tas-Salib area forms part of the beautiful, unspoilt valley of Fiddien. Fiddien is still a rural back-water with scattered farms and fertile fields. It is a place where silence reigns, broken only by the cheerful twittering of birds and the occasional distant yapping of farm-dogs.

 

When Night Falls On The Silent City

The shadows lengthen and the golden glow from the lamps casts mysterious shadows on the silent buildings. Each house seems to be slumbering, dreaming.

The windows are shuttered and the doors are barred.

The streets are deserted – not a sound breaks the stillness except for the chiming of the cathedral clock every quarter hour.

Silence. Stillness. And mystery.

Perfect ingredients for a romantic walk on a chilly winter evening.

This tiny walled town on the hill never disappoints.

Mdina on a winter evening is the perfect place to escape and walk back in time.

Heavenly Voices At The Carmelite Priory

The Carmelite Priory in Mdina was the venue for a Christmas Concert by the Jubilate Choir. The melodic voices soared beautifully in the ornately decorated refectory in which the friars used to eat their meals.  This amazing room is a fine example of a total work of art where the architecture, paintings and sculpture come together to form a unique Baroque gem.

It was a perfect and intimate setting in which to enjoy wonderful renditions of traditional favourites such as Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful together with a medley of Italian and Maltese carols.

         

Concerts at the Refectory are held on a regular basis with proceeds and donations going towards restoration of the paintings on the breath-taking ceiling of this room. The Carmelite Priory Museum is open daily to visitors between 10.00 and 17.00 hours.

The Carmelite Priory Museum

Villegaignon Street

Mdina.

 

With this last post for 2010, I would like to wish all my readers a very happy new year.

It’s Christmas Time In The City

The decorations in Valletta this Christmas are very simple but quite striking.

I suppose it was the local council’s way of bringing an ‘icy’ feel to our Mediterranean Christmas.

   

Our capital city may not be as large and imposing as other cities but it has its own innate charm.

And I think it photographs beautifully, even when night falls.

(I do hate those overhead wires though and I hope that they do something about them soon).

 

Photographs taken  in Republic Street and Merchants’ Street, Valletta.

Maltese Traditions (1) – The Calends (L-Irwiegel)

In the days before weather forecasts and satellites, the people of these islands (mostly the farmers) adopted a curious method of trying to predict the weather for the following year. Starting on the twelfth day before Christmas, they would observe the weather of each day noting shifts in the wind, the amount of clouds in the sky, and any rainfall or sunshine. The first day on which this was done, December 13th, would correspond to January, the next day to February and so on. In this way they thought they would have an idea of what the next year would bring. This ancient way of predicting the weather is common  in most parts of Europe, although in some countries, the calends (irwiegel) start on different days. Countries whose calends start on the same day as Malta are Portugal, Sicily (from where this tradition was most likely adopted), France, Croatia and certain provinces in Italy. Each day started at midnight and farmers, or anyone else interested in predicting the weather in this ancient fashion, were supposed to take note of the weather variations that occurred throughout the course of each day.

Anyone inclined to follow this tradition can start noting the weather patterns each day from next Monday until Christmas eve. So, we will soon know whether we are going to have a warm February (which has not been unusual these last couple of years) or hail in August (highly unlikely). Although there is no scientific data to back this tradition, some elderly farmers claim that they used to use this method with success. Nowadays, this tradition has all but died out since it is considered to belong to the realms of superstition and ignorance. Personally, I think that there is no harm in trying this out, just for fun. After all, there is usually an element of truth in all traditions that have spanned so many generations. So, rain or shine? If the irwiegel are to be believed, I guess we will find out soon.

(Believe it or not, this photo of a cloudless sky was taken last February).

The Belvedere at Lija

 

This Belvedere is situated in Lija, one of three villages, the others being Balzan and Attard, situated in the central part of the island. Constructed in 1857 by the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonavia, it originally formed part of the gardens of a large villa owned by the Depiro family but it was separated from the property when the street in which it now stands was constructed. The word ‘belvedere’ comes from the Italian language and is usually given to structures or towers that command a fine view of their surroundings. When the Belvedere in Lija was built, it commanded unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside and villages. These days the area has been heavily urbanised and even a climb to the top of this structure will only give you a view of houses, houses and more houses with, perhaps, a glimpse of a few fields in the distance.

Due to its rather whimsical architectural style, people from the locality sometimes refer to it as the ‘wedding cake’. Indeed, its three separate levels do resemble the tiers on a traditional wedding cake. I love this shot in sepia, as it makes it seem as if the photo was taken back when the tower was built – well, as long as you ignore the traffic sign in the centre.

The Belvedere

Transfiguration Avenue

Lija

Castello Zammitello

Built around 300 years ago, this small castle surrounded by fields is within walking distance of the village of Mgarr. It was built in the Norman style and its main aim was to serve as a look-out post for any corsairs who may have anchored their ships in the near-by bay of Gnejna.

This small castle, of course, has its own legend. One version of the legend is that Lucia, the daughter of Baron Bernardo Zammit, disappeared on the day she was to marry an elderly Sicilian count. Her distraught father, believing she had been carried away by corsairs, ordered an armed search of the nearby bay – to no avail. A year later, the bells of the local church started tolling unexpectedly and a vision of Lucia, clad  in a nun’s habit, appeared on the altar. Lucia confessed that she had run away from home to avoid marrying the elderly count and had taken refuge in a convent. After taking her vows she had spent the past year tending the wounded in a foreign land only to be killed by a stray arrow. I wonder is the ghost of Lucia sometimes wanders through the rooms of her old home …

   

In recent years the castle has been refurbished and is being used as a venue for weddings and other private functions.

Castello Zammitello

Gnejna Road

Mgarr

Please go here if you are interested in organising a private event at this historic castle.

Of Bridges and Stairs

  

I know that comparisons are odious but, for some reason, I cannot help but compare cities. And sometimes, without even meaning to, I find myself comparing our old capital city, Mdina, to our current capital city, Valletta. Both are beautiful in different ways and while I feel that I know Mdina like an old and loved friend, I have not explored Valletta that well – perhaps because it is a young upstart when compared to the older capital which has been around for at least 3000 years. But I am slowly making amends and walking around Valletta with a camera in my hands and trying to make up for lost time. That’s how I cam across this wonderful little place aptly named The Bridge Bar -  because at the foot of the stairs …

… a bridge crosses the road below.