Many capitals outgrow the nations they actually represent. London and Rome, for instance, are ambassadors to the nation but also have their own identity.

Valletta is no exception, featuring prominently on all of the world’s smallest destinations lists – it is a staggering concentration of monuments and historic buildings that have earned it the status of Unesco World Heritage site.

“Valletta is indeed one of our country’s most recognisable icons. Of course, its importance as a capital is clear, however, what makes it stand out is the centuries-old architectural marvels – the fortifications, palaces, churches and the rich art and colourful history they contain,” says conservation architect and architectural heritage researcher Edward Said.

The focus on Valletta is not surprising as the capital city is an architectural jewel visited by millions every year. Yet despite the sound of thousands of feet pattering the cobbled streets, there are silent spots, in the shade of narrow streets, where the only sound is that of wet washing slapping the wooden balconies and doves making cooing and kissing sounds – like life, the capital has its loud and quiet moments.

Valletta is the living symbol of what we were and what we want to be in the future. Said explains how unlike most capital cities around the globe, “Valletta was purpose-built, that is, from a virgin site or desolate, bloody battleground, in a few years it was transformed into a metropolis commissioned by an order of militant monks, financed largely by various monarchs and magnates of the Europe’s leading nations.”

As Valletta was to serve as the strongest southernmost Christian bulwark, it had to be guarded by the strongest fortifications.

To ensure this, Pope Pius V sent Francesco Laparelli, one of his most capable military engineers. With the assistance of the Maltese capomastro Girolamo Cassar, Valletta was planned and built, earning it much admiration on the continent while instilling fear in its enemies.

Strangely enough, although over the past 450 years, many monuments and memorials were established in Valletta, Laparelli and Cassar had never been given this honour.

Last year, the Alfred Mizzi Foundation identified this oversight and in close collaboration with Heritage Malta and under the patronage of the Prime Minister, proposed to fund a fitting monument to these two distinguished people. Following a public call for designs, Gozitan artist John Grima was commissioned to create a bronze sculpture of Laparelli and Cassar – this sculpture was unveiled late last year.

“A monument to these two men is a humble yet fitting tribute to this immense undertaking which us Maltese take too much for granted. Valletta is unique in many ways and deserves to be treated better,” continues Said.

Asked about gentrification and any building development that could mar Valletta’s architectural heritage, the architect replies that “the built environment of Valletta is what makes it special.”

He believes that the thriving capital has constantly changed over these four-and-a-half centuries. “In its past, some of these changes resulted in the loss of what we would today regard as heritage assets and we must learn from them, as I fear other losses are taking place,” he adds. “The skyline is one of them, as are certain insensitive conversions of historic palazzi as a result of the boutique hotel frenzy raging through the city.

“I have serious concerns about the preservation of those idiosyncrasies which are identifiably old-world Valletta such as the shop signs, worn paving, pendant street lamps and other urban furniture which has survived over the years.”

Valletta is currently undergoing a revival which is injecting new life into old areas that were previously left to rot. Strait Street is the paragon of this rejuvenation process. Left abandoned until recently, it has become one of the busiest Valletta streets. The old abattoir is also getting a facelift and is earmarked to become a centre of creativity and art.

However, Valletta has also evolved with the times and now also boasts modern architecture such as the new Barrakka lift, which also has a contemporary, experimental style, as well as the new Parliament building, designed by architect Renzo Piano. Piano has also worked on the old Royal Opera House, which was devastated by a bomb in World War II, by merging the theatre’s surviving original structure with his modern vision.

Valletta has not shied away from embracing change. It retains its historical heritage while also moving forward becoming a hybrid containing buildings both old and new.

The 450-year-old city is not stuck in its past but is alive and forward-looking.

In his book Valletta – Lost City, a personal collection of illustrations, Judge Giovanni Bonello writes: “Cities tend to grow and evolve; they self-aggrandise and sometimes they also self-destruct. In Valletta’s case, the urge to self-preservation sometimes reached the lowest ebbs, but it somehow managed to avoid total extinction. As a living construct, and as a material entity, it survives.

“Superimpose today’s map of Valletta to one drawn 400 years ago and the contours and extent will coincide.”

Just after the Great Siege of 1565, Valletta first rose from a barren mount, almost overnight and has since then lived, ailed, grown, staggered, fallen and rebounded. When first created, it followed a rational and swiftly executed plan.

From the original design, one can see how the straight streets in the form of a grid stand out, protected by the bastions on the periphery and a number of majestic baroque buildings.

Valletta, while keeping its historical characteristics, has never stopped reinventing itself, although over time it has become the administrative and commercial capital more than a residential city.

Although its topography remains unchanged, the city has been altered architecturally in response to the evolving needs of its citizens, its political masters and the imperatives of both military and civil progress.

The policies concerning boutique hotels, pavement tables and chairs and heritage are creating new opportunities which seem to be flourishing inside the city.

“Valletta, just a year before it is hailed as European Capital of Culture, has improved dramatically in various ways since a decade ago,” Said points out.

In preparation, the city is enjoying a makeover, with many of its beautiful old buildings being restored.

“Moving forward one hopes that decisions are taken to invest more funds, create attractive incentives, instil better taste and ultimately ensure that the experience our capital has to offer remains Maltese through and through,” he concludes.

Remembering Valletta’s builders

Last month, Valletta added a monument commemorating the two engineers who had drafted the architectural plan and designs of the Maltese capital: Francesco Laparelli and Girolamo Cassar.

The bronze monument, which is strategically installed between the Parliament building and the bombed Opera House, also commemorated the 450th anniversary of the laying down of its foundation stone on March 28, 1566.

Sculpted by John Grima on the initiative of the Alfred Mizzi Foundation, the artist linked the elements with which Laparelli and Cassar managed to build a historical jewel not only for Malta but also in a European context.

“I wanted to show the sense of fusion that these two architects had in their work – harmony and marriage joined together,” Grima said.

There are spectacular panoramic views from every level of the defensive bastion walls that encircle the capital, Valletta. Photos: Enrico Formica/Miranda Publishers www.mirandabooks.com

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