The history of Malta and that of the town of Villefranche-sur-mer in France are once again set on the same junction by a project that the Mediterranean Institute is co-ordinating with other French Institutions.

At the opening of the modern period, Villefranche-sur-mer had been on the crossroads of the Order of St John's history. It hosted the Knights of Malta on their passage from Rhodes to Malta. About 480 years later, Maltese maritime experts and archaeology students have been invited by the Groupe de Recherche en Archeologie Navale and the Mediterranean Institute of the University of Malta to participate in a four-week underwater expedition at Villefranche-sur-mer.

The team will be made up of four Maltese experts. This project is part of a three-year programme sponsored by the EU-MEDA projects to help in the research of the Mediterranean's maritime heritage.

The Mediterranean Institute is the leader of this project, and the Maltese participation in it is the result of the personal initiative of the director of the Mediterranean Institute, Dr Simon Mercieca.

The Maltese participants are university students Elaine Azzopardi, Joanne Mallia, and a member of the Museums Department, Michael Spiteri. It is led by archaeologist Timmy Gambin, who lectures at the University. They will be taking part in the excavation of the La Lomellina, a 16th century Genoese vessel that was wrecked off Villefranche-sur-mer. Underwater excavations and research are planned to take the whole of September.

During this expedition, various aspects of underwater archaeology will be studied both on a theoretical and practical level. The participants will be addressed by top researchers in the field of maritime archaeology in France.

This project will provide an excellent opportunity to train local students and researchers in a subject that is becoming increasingly important to Malta. Such training would be of great benefit to the study, preservation and management of the Maltese Islands' submerged cultural heritage.

Two other archaeological sessions are already programmed for this year and next, the first in Tunisia and the second in Malta.

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