In his reply to my letter (The Sunday Times, December 2) Judge Giovanni Bonello chose to demean himself by going on an adolescent, sarcastic rant attacking the integrity of my character of which he has no knowledge.
My letter was neither disrespectful nor personal, and corroborated by other contributors- Antonio Anastasi, Mġarr
My letter, while not agreeing with his opinion entitled ‘Let’s hide the bastions’ (The Sunday Times, November 18, 2012) was neither disrespectful nor personal, and was corroborated by other contributors in The Sunday Times letters pages, including a historian.
I have not spent time at the Bibliotheca researching Valletta, so consequently I have never written any studies. I never stated that I was a historian of any repute.
Having said that, this does not preclude me from stating an opinion, based on a few of the many documents and books that have been written by notable historians, who did spend time at the archives, and have written published studies.
Judge Bonello’s original contribution ridiculed the whole idea of having trees or gardens, in the ditches, along the fortifications, within the city, as well as all the changes brought about under British rule. He asks me to corroborate what I wrote.
In Joseph Grima’s narrative for Legacy of an Order In Malta 360 the reference to the Upper Barrakka states: “Built on the bastions named after Saints Peter and Paul at the corner of Valletta’s land front which was defended by the Italian knights, this site became a recreational focus as the danger of attack receded. The Italians constructed a garden... in 1661...”
Sa Maison Gardens was a shooting lodge built by Chevalier Caille Maison in the mid-18th century, while Argotti Gardens date back to the early 18th century. (Source: Din L-Art Ħelwa.)
Lascaris created his private gardens – Ġnien Is-Sultan – as well as a road along the shore from the marina ending at the Pinto stores. Wignacourt built a fountain and chapel. Perellos built the Quarantine Hospital and stores. Pinto built the warehouses. All outside and below the bastions and to an enemy’s advantage.
The Mullbery grove source was Judge Bonello’s own two paragraphs on the matter, which give the impression that these were planted under de la Vallette. He corrects me stating that this enterprise happened under Governor Hasting and that it was short lived. Unless he is referring to a specific enterprise, the silk industry was started by Grand Master Pinto and ended under Governor Reid, (1851-1858). I cannot establish whether the required trees were planted in Valletta; whatever the facts are, it was not a short-lived industry.
His contention that no country would obstruct fortifications or monuments with trees is inaccurate. Dubrovnik, Lucca, Festung Hohensalzburg, Veste Oberhaus, Nordlingen, Rothenburg, Schloss Hohenschwangau,York, Segovia, Opidos, Toledo, The Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Rhodes and many other fortifications throughout Europe, have parts, if not all, of their fortifications and inner city adorned with trees.
Peace, commerce and prosperity brought indelible changes to Valletta’s historical context. So if one Grand Master saw fit to go against La Vallette’s regulations ordering no trees by creating a garden below Valletta’s Bastions and the Italian Langue created a garden on top of the bastions, Judge Bonello cannot reasonably state that the Order would not have created other gardens and planted trees had it not been forced to leave Malta.