Strada Stretta, which for decades was the lifeline of Valletta, is now a ghost alley.

In its heady days, streams of sailors and other servicemen went down to the Gut, as the British seamen had christened it because of its narrowness, to fraternise with women, drink and dance, among other pastimes.

The Gut was pictured by many as a den of sin and sleaze, by others as a means of eking out a living while some saw it as a monumental opportunity to make a fortune.

Barmaids, prostitutes, waiters, barmen, cooks, gays, transvestites and musicians slogged seven days a week entertaining patrons in the most vibrant spot on the island.

Strada Stretta was a magnet not only for those in search of a good time but also for anyone who wanted to see what Malta's red light district looked like and what made it swing.

Last October, The Times carried a three-part series on Strait Street which was well received by readers. This feedback, very much above expectations, has spurred the newspaper to further research the ingredients that made up Strait Street, an alleyway that despite its size played a significant role in the social development of Valletta, if not of Malta.

Not much has been written about Strada Stretta, which is renowned in the four corners of the globe through the yarns weaved by sailors and by others who had been there.

A second series, consisting of four instalments starting daily tomorrow, is being written in tribute to the people who laughed and loved, sweated and laboured, at times in arduous conditions, to earn a living in the infamous alley at a time when poverty was one of the bare facts of life.