(Published April 7, 2010)

Tal-Virtù Street, in Rabat will be one of the holiest - and guarded - roads in Malta on the night of April 17 as Pope Benedict is set to reside there.

The road, which hosts the Archbishop's Seminary, a convent and the place where the Pope will sleep, is being tidied up for the Pontiff with a fresh tarmac surface.

On the side of the road, freshly-drilled holes will support the poles which will see about 20 flags flying high on the day, providing a perfect photo opportunity with a panorama of Malta in the background.

But the Nunciature is also beefing up security.

Sources said the Nunciature had been planning the security system since 2008 and the Pope's visit only meant that, instead of being carried out as planned in July, the works are taking place now.

In fact, the system would barely be needed because the place would still be heavily guarded by the police.

The building has 11 surveillance cameras perched atop a ledge. It seems that couples in their cars often annoy those living there over the weekend, so two larger cameras are trained on that particular spot.

For a family living just across the street from the Apostolic Nunciature, this won't be the first time the head of the Catholic Church will be their neighbour. "We're doing a lot of maintenance work, which had to be done some time or another; the Pope's visit gave us a good excuse to get cracking," the elderly couple admitted.

"Last time, they wouldn't let us go on our roof for security reasons," the woman explained. "This time, it shouldn't be a problem with all the cameras they have.

"They're very good neighbours though. We get on well," the woman said.