John Finley, 61, a former Royal Navy member, recently described how he felt about Malta and Strait Street when he was taken on a tour of the alley by Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef. Finley was in Malta on a two-week holiday with his family.

“Each time I’m in Malta and walk down Strait Street, hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I recall the happy times spent down the ‘Gut’ with my mates on Royal Navy ships. My wife Catherine fell in love with Malta so much that we have visited at least 18 times, sometimes twice a year,” he said.

Micallef explained how Valletta 2018 looks at the rejuvenation concept of Strait Street.

“Business operators and entrepreneurs have latched on to the foundation’s idea and are investing money and talent in setting up establishments that will recapture the sparkle this street once enjoyed.”

Finley was accompanied by Joshua Terry, a relative of his who is a digital arts student at John Moores Univesity in Liverpool, and by George Cini, a Strait Street researcher, who said the sequel to his first book – Strada Stretta Aktar Dawl fuq it-Triq li Darba Xegħlet il-Belt – would be published by the end of this month.