Roofing an open space in Valletta was made to look pretty easy at an evening reception held at Upper Barrakka Gardens the other day.

A specially-built gazebo with a transparent roof was installed for a conference, which offered its foreign guests a night under the stars but out of the elements.

Ironically, the gardens are up the road from the site of the old opera house, over which there is a raging controversy because the plans for its rehabilitation by world-renown Italian architect Renzo Piano will see the theatre become an open-air venue with only a partial roof.

Like the Royal Opera House, the Upper Barrakka gardens also had a roof once that was removed in 1775.

The event was organised by the Malta Tourism Authority for a group of guests from the Italian conference travel industry.