Episodes from Great Siege to feature in heritage trail

A heritage trail on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Victories on September 7, focusing on the Great Siege of 1565, is being organised by Heritage Malta.

The trail will lead participants to various sites associated with the siege where experts on various topics will give brief talks.

Participants will meet at the Palace of the Grand Master in Valletta at 9 a.m. where they will visit the State Rooms for a short lecture on Matteo Perez d'Aleccio's frescos depicting the Great Siege.

The frescos started being painted 11 years after the siege and, although d'Aleccio was not a witness to the event, he relied heavily on Francisco Balbi di Corregio's account of the siege and on details provided by surviving Knights, including the Grand Master who furnished the artist with more information.

From the Palace, the participants will walk to the Police Academy at Fort St Elmo in lower Valletta where they will get to know about the fierce fighting that took place there.

The next stop will be the chapel of the Nativity at Fort St Angelo in Vittoriosa.

From this high point one can get a bird's eye view of Grand Harbour where most of the Great Siege skirmishes took place.

Participants will then proceed to the Inquisitor's Palace where a talk on the Great Siege In Cultural Memory will be delivered.

Tickets selling for €12, or €8 for Heritage Malta members, are to be bought beforehand from the Heritage Malta head office in Merchants Street, Valletta. For booking and more information call 2295 4312.