Valletta’s journey from Laparelli’s vision to the current transformation of the City Gate area has been laid bare in a Parisian exhibition this month.

Reasonable Dreams, which is being held at La Galerie d’Architecture until January 11, tells of Valletta’s architectural spirit.

Organised and curated by Architecture Project (AP), the aim is to present some of the visions and inspirations that fed the most influential architectural projects in Malta’s capital.

The 32 exhibits include models by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) and AP, as well as works by local and foreign artists.

They include historical dreams and realised dreams, but also the process of the transformation, including snapshots of the ongoing City Gate project by RPBW and the Barrakka Lift by AP.

One work on display is a video installation by Bettina Hutschek, who recorded the demolition of the previous City Gate to make way for Piano’s new vision.

The exhibition includes historic documents from the National Library and private collections, and another highlight is a display of plans by Francesco Laparelli, which today form part of the Accademia Etrusca di Cortona collection.

They show four versions of fortifying the peninsula against the threat of another Ottoman attack.

More information is available at architecture-project.com.

A model of the rebuilt Opera House. Photo: Renzo Piano Building Workshop