The last resident of Palazzo Falson and her precious belongings, which include a chastity belt, are at the centre of a special tour being organised this week in the run-up to International Women’s Day on Friday.

Portrait of Teresa Gollcher née Prior by Carlo Romagnoli. Images courtesy of Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum

Teresa Lucia, née Prior and known as Nella, was the Italian wife of shipping magnate Olof Frederick Gollcher. She married him at the age of 48 (he was a year older) during a civil ceremony in a registry office in England in 1938 and then exchanged vows again at the church of Cristo Re in Rome in 1947.

Nella played a very important role in the house Olly ‒ as the scholar and philanthropist was known ‒ inherited from his mother Elisa and cared for it with great dedication. The couple extended the medieval townhouse in Mdina and adorned their home with exquisite furniture, carpets, silverware, paintings and other objets d’art. They also entertained several distinguished guests and friends.

Nella passed away in 1962, a couple of months after her husband died.

She and Olly did not have any children and it was his wish to bequeath the palazzo and have it opened for the enjoyment of the public. The museum is owned by the Gollcher Foundation and it has been managed by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti since its inception in 2007.

During the tour, visitors will be guided around various rooms, including the refectory, study room, bedroom, drawing room and armoury, where they will learn many details about Nella’s life.

Her portrait in the small collections room reveals she was an attractive and elegant woman. She was known as being avant-garde fashion-wise as she wore trousers when riding her bicycle and often bought clothes from abroad.

In the refectory, one will get a taste of the many casual and formal dinners the couple hosted. They also organised dinners outside their palazzo as in the case of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1936 when, according to records, they hosted over 100 elderly and needy people in Rabat.

The palazzo’s drawing room

The couple adorned their home with exquisite furniture, carpets, silverware, paintings and other objets d’art

The Gollchers then continued to organise regular free meals for the destitute of the area.

Among other interesting facts, Nella was very active with the St John’s Ambulance Brigade and was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of St John in 1947. She also gave first aid classes at the palazzo.

Nella also tended to their country home in Mġarr, Villa Brunswick, where she had a vegetable garden and kept some free-range hens. She was very fond of animals and had a dog and a donkey called Sallie.

A chastity belt is found in the palace’s armoury. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The tour will also pay tribute to other women married into the Gollcher family. In the small study room, there are a number of female portraits from the Swedish side of Olly’s family, while in the dining room, one finds those of his mother Elisa née Balbi and his grandmother, Vincenza Bruno Oliver, who was the one to bring Maltese nobility into the family after marrying Olly’s grandfather.

These and other portraits are to be appreciated not only from an artistic point of view but also because they provide an insight into the fashion and traditions of the times.

For example, paintings depicting some Maltese ladies in the bedroom show that young women in the 18th century liked to ‘dye’ their hair greyish-white. This is because it was fashionable to powder hair with a highly-decorated poudre de riz (rice powder) instead of wearing a wig.

Visitors will be able to take a close look at some of the Gollchers’ prized possessions, including jewellery and a fine collection of fans. Such displays were common in the homes of well-travelled and wealthy families.

Two of the most rare museum items to be highlighted in the tour are found in the armoury.

Stiletto daggers were used by nearly everyone between the 15th and 17th century, including women. Although lightweight − they could easily be concealed under a cloak, tucked in a belt or held in a pouch or pocket − they could pierce through light armour and inflict deep puncture wounds.

The other artefact, which may still raise an eyebrow or two, is a chastity belt.

Legend has it that medieval wives were made to wear this belt while their husbands went crusading in order to safeguard their fidelity. During the Victorian era, the chastity belt was recreated as an object of curiosity and remains shrouded in myth and fantasy.

The one-hour special tours are being held at Palazzo Falson in Mdina today, tomorrow and on Friday at noon. For more information about the museum and other tours, log on to www.palazzofalson.com.

A stiletto dagger. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier