Wednesday, August 13, 2008

San Anton Palace & Gardens






History
The palace was built between 1623 and 1636, during the rule of the Knights, to serve as a summer residence for Grand Master Antoine de Paule. During the British rule over Malta it was the Governor's official residence, while Verdala Palace, in the Buskett limits of Rabat, was the Governor's summer residence.

Gardens
The public gardens of San Anton, open to the public since 1882, are laid out in a formal manner, with graceful walkways, sculptures, ornamental ponds, families of ducks and swans, and a small aviary. They contain a large variety of trees and flowers from around the world, including a variety of palm trees, cypress, jacarandas, araucarias and other exotic plants, some of them over three centuries old. For many years it has been customary for visiting Heads of State to plant a tree in memory of their stay in Malta. The gardens also contain an orangerie, and it was once the practice of incumbent Governors to give baskets of oranges grown in the palace gardens as gifts at Christmas time.

Culture
A number of significant annual events are held at San Anton Gardens, including the Malta Horticultural Show, and open-air theatre, dance and musical performances

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