The history of Malta and that of the town of Villefranche-sur-mer in France are once again set on the same junction by a project that the Mediterranean Institute is co-ordinating with other French institutions.
At the opening of the modern period, Villefranche-sur-mer was on the crossroads of the Order of St John's history. It hosted the Knights of Malta on their passage from Rhodes to Malta.
About 480 years later, Maltese maritime experts and archaeology students have been invited by the Groupe de Recherche en Archeologie Navale and the Mediterranean Institute of the University of Malta to participate in an underwater expedition at the town of Villefranche-sur-mer.
The team will be made up of four Maltese experts and the duration of the expedition is of about four weeks. This project is part of a three-year programme sponsored by the EU-Meda projects to help in the research of the Mediterranean maritime heritage.
The Mediterranean Institute is the leader of this project, and the Maltese participation in this project is the result of the initiative of the director of the Mediterranean Institute, Dr Simon Mercieca.
The selected group for the Villefranche underwater expedition comprises of University students Elaine Azzopardi, Joanne Mallia, and a member from the Museums Department, Michael Spiteri. It is led by archaeologist Timmy Gambin, who is a graduate of the University of Malta and a guest lecturer at the University.
They will be taking part in the excavation of the La Lomellina, a 16th-century Genoese vessel that was wrecked off the shores of Villefranche-sur-mer. Underwater excavations and research are planned to take the whole of this month.
During this four-week expedition, various aspects of underwater archaeology will be studied both on a theoretical and practical level. The participants will be also addressed by top researchers in the field of maritime archaeology in France.
The project will provide an excellent opportunity to train local students and researchers in a subject that is becoming increasingly important to Malta and Gozo. Such training would eventually be of great benefit to the study, preservation and management of the Maltese islands' submerged cultural heritage.
Two other archaeological sessions are already planned for 2003 and 2004. The former will be held in Tunisia and the latter in Malta.