Valletta is a beautiful creation of the late Renaissance: a rigid grid plan punctuated with palaces, baroque churches and bastions walls modelled around the natural site. Two architects speak to Veronica Stivala about their favourite features in this wonderful city.

Jens Bruenslow. Photo: Jason BorgJens Bruenslow. Photo: Jason Borg

Architect Jens Bruenslow muses about the southwest corner of the National Library.

There is a little shop named Guido nestled in the corner pilaster of the National Library on Republic Square, just where Old Treasury Street meets the arcades on the southeast and southwest of the square. There it stands in all its gold aluminium and mint green roller shutter glory, showcasing happily nothing else than its name in red letters on a white background, never open, unaware in its slumber that above it looms one of the more interesting scars of this city.

Contrary to common perception, I sometimes see scars as something positive. Scars manifest a life lived, ventures experienced and, more importantly, survived. Scars are signs of an existence which may not have been happy all the time but neither has it been boring and dull.

Valletta has many of them. Some are very obvious and others hidden well. From the Renaissance beginnings to this very day, they have left their marks on the city. Rulers come and go, technology evolves and lifestyles change: all impact and sometimes wound the city. These wounds then turn into scars. When in 1798 the Knights of the Order of St John were expelled from Malta by Napoleon Bonaparte, the new library had been finished for only two years. It was the last significant building erected by the Knights in Malta but it had been part of a greater plan which would not be followed up by the new rulers and so, on top of Guido, today we can still see the spring of an arch never to span, the start of a cross vault which will never spread and the teething ending of an unfinished wall which seems to have been calling for stones to connect with it for more than 200 years.

I can’t say this is my favourite feature of Valletta but it is one which is representative of what interests me. Close your eyes and imagine the arches and vaults completed. It’s a game you can play again and again. Historical evidence aside, your own mind is the only limit.

Valletta is a treasure trove for these kind of finds. In spite of its small size, you never stop discovering new things that spark the imagination, offer opportunities or suggest potential. That’s what makes Valletta a city of dreams.

Bianca Darmanin.Bianca Darmanin.

Architect and personal style blogger Bianca Darmanin muses about the many attractions of Caffe Cordina and Piazza Regina.

To me architecture isn’t just about design or engineering, but the ability to convey a feeling, an emotion and a lifestyle through design, decor and engineering.

With new buildings and contemporary structures happening in Valletta, I would be lying if I said I don’t laud such designs. After all, the contemporary is my preferred design approach. But in a city as historic as Valletta, I can’t help but be enchanted by the more traditional architecture that makes this city beautiful.

For as long as I can remember, trips to Valletta always entailed a coffee stop in Republic Square, or Pjazza Regina as it is known, in the warm weather or under the high vaulted ceilings of Caffe Cordina in the winter months. Even though I work in Valletta, and this has become a daily ritual, the majestic surroundings of Republic Square and charm of Caffe Cordina have never outgrown themselves.

Caffe Cordina is a Valletta institution. Every time I stop for a coffee at the island bar, I feel transported back to the 1940s, with men in their top hatsand women with perfectly pinned hair.

The large vaulted ceiling decorated with frescos, curved wrought iron staircase, patterned tiled floors, the wall panelling accentuated in gold and wall mirrors, and the detailed glass chandeliers make this cafe a historic gem in the city. The traditional architectural features and decor is what keeps this cafe so alive, and have turned it into a lifestyle to many, including me. Taking centre stage as the backdrop of Republic Square is the 18th century National Library. This symbolic building was one of the last to be constructed by the Knights of the Order of St John in Valletta.

It is ornamental yet simplistic and the geometric facade is typical of 18th century neoclassic architecture designed by Polish architect Stefano Ittar. Inspired by the age of enlightenment, symmetry, proportions and geometry are the emphasis of the monumental design which I find the most appealing and inspiring. The grand arcades and detailed, stone carved, vaulted ceilings have saved me from a couple of showers in the morning rush.

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