Day trip to Valletta

After a busy working week at inlingua school it was time to relax a bit over the weekend. And for me the best way to relax is to go out and see something. So I decided to visit Valletta, the magnificent capital on Malta’s east coast, and when I was there I realised that it is a must-see for visitors.

It was a wonderful Saturday morning, with clear skies and warm, fresh air, ideal for my trip. After having a coffee to wake up, I got ready for the day’s excursion.

I took the bus directly to Valletta’s Bus Terminal. From there I headed towards the main gate and then strolled onto Republic Street which is the main street of the city. After a few minutes I arrived at one of the most splendid churches on the Maltese islands, St. John’s Co-Cathedral – designed by Gerolamo Cassar and built by the Knights of St. John in 1573. While the outside of the church is unimpressive, its interior is amazing. As I am very interested in arts, I was impressed by the fascinating paintings inside the church, mainly by Caravaggio’s famous painting ‘The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist’.

Then I visited the nearby Grandmasters’ Palace – once home of the knights, now home of the Maltese parliament. It displays a lot of marvellous paintings, frescoes and furniture that have been placed there by the Knights of St. John. From the palace I moved on through the narrow streets of Valletta to a nice restaurant to have lunch.

After lunch I went to the Auberge de Provence that is home to the National Museum of Archaeology. A visit here is essential to understand Malta's unique prehistoric temples. It's worth the admission fee to see the lavish upstairs salon and the mysterious ‘Sleeping Lady’ sculpture inside the museum.

Late in the afternoon, I was on the way to the Upper Barrakka Gardens with its beautiful fountains and flowers to get a fascinating view over the Grand Harbour and the ‘Three Cities’ Vittoriosa, Senglea and Kalkara – A perfect place to end a nice day in Valletta.

See you next time!
Teresa