Hidden underground in one of the oldest towns in Malta lies the Chamber of Secrets, home to illusionist and magician Matthew Wright and queen of mystery Alarna Price.

As the intriguing notes of traditional music lure patrons into the internal yard of ‘1743’ Razzett L-Antik, in Qormi, little do they know that the wine cellar downstairs hosts one of Malta’s best-kept secrets.

Many are aware of the chivalrous Order of the Knights of Malta, but few have heard about the ancient legend of their predecessors, the Order of the Alchemists.

The secret society of magicians used to meet in a sacred chamber where secrets were unlocked and spells discovered.

The chamber remained hidden for centuries, until one day in the time of the witch hunter general, the secret was unveiled. The persecutors stormed the chamber and arrested its inhabitants.

One of the wizards, Eugene Little, managed to evade the capturers and stay hidden in the chamber. However, the Knights sealed the Chamber, trapping the magician inside. Recently, some explorers rediscovered the chamber by using ancient maps and folk legends. They discovered that the wizard’s spirit had stayed just as he had vowed so many years ago.

Nowadays, Eugene is Mr Wright’s mentor and guide, a caricature of his magic mentor Eugene Burger from Chicago.

Patrons are in for a treat as they are taken on a trip of mystery and illusion with Mr Wright, who is chased by the queen of clubs throughout a night riddled with side-splitting laughter.

Ms Price, from Oxford, has been performing from a very young age.

“We looked all across Europe to find a place where it would be best to settle down. The island is beautiful and the people are some of the friendliest and most helpful we have ever met,” Mr Wright says.

The magician, from Burnley near Manchester, is the winner of the Magic Circle Close-up Magician of the Year, International Champion of Close-up Magic and placed second in the Parlour Category of the FISM European Championships of Magic.

He has been planning his own magic theatre for the past 10 years. The parlour magic show follows a three-course meal, served by waiters in period costume, with free flowing wine in the restaurant’s courtyard under the starry sky.

Traditional lanterns stoop down from the farmhouse’s restored walls. Specialising in slow food farmhouse cooking, Razzett l-Antik’s first floor and cellar are fully accessible, equipped with a lift and wide doorways.

Over 400 years old, the main building itself was once a milling factory.

www.chamberofsecrets.eu.

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