Restoration work on the historic Fort Manoel is progressing at a steady pace, according to Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti.

The work includes major works to St Helen's bastions, the Notre Dame curtain wall and the fort's impressive main entrance and Couvre Porte.

Foundation chairman Maurice de Giorgio and CEO Michael Lowell visited the restoration works at Fort Manoel, touring the parade ground, the newly-restored chapel of St Anthony of Padua, the casemate blocks, the barracks and the Polverista.

Mr de Giorgio said: "On entering the parade ground my first impression was one of grandeur and cleanliness. The rebirth of the badly-damaged chapel together with all the surrounding buildings, after the grim battering it received in wartime, looked even better than my pre-war recollection of Fort Manoel."

He said the major undertaking of restoration work by Midi was impressive and was rendered more interesting through the numerous informative panels showing the various stages of reconstruction. Midi had a lot to be proud of for salvaging one of Malta's important historical sites, he said. Midi plc's restoration of Fort Tigné, Fort Manoel, the Lazzaretto and other sites on Manoel Island, forms part of a lease agreement signed between the consortium and the government in 2000.

This is considered the largest restoration initiative ever carried out by a private company in Malta, costing about €30 million.