Excellent restoration job

No. 26 to 30 Old Bakery Street, Valletta, has been wonderfully restored to its former glory by the owner Antoine Cachia. This is one of the most successful restoration jobs on private houses in recent years and I have found it to be excellently done.

Leonard Mahoney had attributed this house to Francesco Buonamici both on stylistic grounds and also due to the motto which one finds on No 28: Boni Amici, Amica Domus with the double meaning of welcoming those who enter and at the same time identifying as a "friendly house for Buonamici". On stylistic grounds this house has many features which can be found in various other works of Buonamici such as the drapery festoons in the windows which appear in both the façade of the Jesuit church and in the bell tower of the Tal-Erwieh church. It has one of the most outstanding façades of private houses in Valletta and the detailing, such as the corbels and the central features, is outstanding.

This beautifully balanced façade can now be enjoyed in its full splendour after the removal of a 1980s marble shop front, and other late additions, together with the restoration of simple but important detailing such as the original door numbering.

A partly visible advert from the British period painted directly on the façade has also been retained. Over recent years we have seen a number of important private restoration jobs in Valletta. I am certainly not always in agreement with what is done but I certainly applaud the great efforts that are done to restore such important architectural gems of Valletta. The Buonamici house, however, deserves to be recognised as a job well done.