Whoever is responsible should review certain street names that through the decades have become corrupted. I shall mention only two instances but there are far more that require in-depth study to find the historical connection of their origin. The fact that certain people misunderstood such names does not mean that they are no longer valid. The two instances are Strada Bongiorno in Cospicua and Vicolo Coppola in Fgura.

Strada Bongiorno was named after Cavaliere Bongiorno, a great philanthropist who from his own money had built the Ospizio or Conservatorio in that city. He also used to cover the expenses involved in the running of such an institution.

With the craze to remove anything that had an Italian connection, Bongiorno became Good Day Street. But this had nothing to do with morning salutations. When it was the turn to eliminate anything English, it then became Triq il-Jum it-Tajjeb. Then, when people thought it was an irrelevant name, it was changed once again to honour one of Cospicua's sons. It is not prudent to rename this street but, at least, another street should be named in honour of Bongiorno.

Vicolo Coppola in Fgura was likewise named after a certain (Filippo?) Coppola, a merchant from Cospicua who lived 400 years ago and who owned large tracts of land in what is now Fgura. Then it was given a wrong English translation and became Dome Lane. From where did the idea of dome arise? The word coppola derives from coppa, a goblet. The Italian for dome is cupola. To continue with the obfuscation, it turned into Triq il-Koppla and became the name of a nearby street while the lane itself now carries an irrelevant name. Another point worth considering is the naming of certain streets. Some of these are an insult to the residents, let alone the personality they are named after. Desguanez Street in St Paul's Bay is a case in point.

Street naming is serious business and should be in the hands of historians and well-educated persons who must visit the locality and seek public opinion before assigning any names. Partisan politics should not be involved. Except for very rare reasons, no street name should ever be changed on the whim of anybody. There are more than ample new streets in Malta to be named after personalities or special events.

I hope that this plea does not fall on deaf ears as, otherwise, I would be tempted to think that our authorities are a shame to the Maltese islands.

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