"The devil is in the detail... Far from controversy and polemics, the key to our capital is one - bringing it back to its former glory."
Unfortunately, any discussion about our capital city has become synonymous with the Piano project, eliciting all sorts of positive and negative reactions but nonetheless reactions. Few look at the larger picture of a capital restored to its former beauty, one that we can be proud of.
Indeed, a walk through the streets of Valletta, beyond City Gate, is enough to realise the extent of works that are going on, be it paving a street or two, the restoration of Auberge de Castille or the restoration of the often-forgotten niches that adorn the street corners. Valletta has, over the last few months, undergone the beginning of what will surely be a welcome facelift.
One Saturday recently, together with my family, we sat down for lunch in St George's Square with a group of friends and their children. The sun was shining and Valletta was thriving. As we sat in the sun welcoming the summer season, the children raced in and out of the water fountain daring each other in a game they made up as they played. Soaked to the bone but thrilled at the prospect of such a large and safe area where to play, the sound of their laughter and squeals made them a spectacle in their own right.
While watching this scene it was difficult to remember that, just a few months earlier, the same square was a horrendous car park. Indeed, its transformation stands as a symbol of what the restoration team under the Valletta Rehabilitation Projects office within the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs is trying to achieve.
Ably led by the chairman, Marie Louise Musumeci, an architect by profession, the Rehabilitation Committee is responsible for the numerous projects in and around Valletta.
These include the restoration of the Kaxxa Rizzi, made by the renowned architect Romano Carapecchia in St Paul's Shipwreck church. To understand the meaning of this storage cupboard for clerical vestments, Carapecchia was the principal architect of the Order of St John in 1706 responsible, among others, for the design of the Manoel Theatre.
Valletta, indeed Malta, has often been referred to as an open-air museum. True to its reputation, our capital is fast being turned into the architectural and artistic gem it once was. The devil is in the detail and it is this detail that the team of architects within the Rehabilitation Projects office are looking at. From the cleaning of Victoria Gate overlooking the Grand Harbour to the transformation of a car park into one of the most prestigious squares in the capital, every effort is being made to ensure Valletta remains a unique experience.
Our capital is an experience unparallelled. Have you ever been with a tourist visiting Valletta for the first time? Surprises at every corner, hidden treasures behind every façade, glory in the form of our co-cathedral. The look on your guests' faces is often indescribable. It is this feeling that is creeping back into our capital and this time not only for tourists but also for us, the Maltese and Gozitans, who cherish their capital with pride and are being asked to make it theirs.
Far from controversy and polemics, the key to our capital is one: bringing it back to its former glory. Lord Byron once called Valletta "the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen". Be it the removal of trees blocking the full visual impact of the Auberge de Castille or the cleaning up of a gate or a niche, the total sum is a city to be proud of.
Dr Portelli is president of the Nationalist Party's executive committee.
martheseportelli.consult@gmail.com