Living In Malta: Cruises

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Where Will You Be Cruising Next?

Get inspired for your next cruise with this photo gallery highlighting just a few of the many new ports of call that cruise companies arNestled between Sicily and Africa in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Gozo Island is the second largest of the Maltese Islands. Silversea Cruises will stop here in 2009, and travelers will be able to explore the island’s impressive citadel, prehistoric temples and sandy beaches.e adding to their itineraries in 2009.

Valletta-The Capital City

Valletta (Maltese: Belt Valletta or Città Umillisima) is the capital city of Malta. The city has a population of 6,315 (official estimate for 2005). It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, where Scebberras Hill juts out into the surrounding harbours.
Valletta, the Città Umilissima, is Baroque in character. However, it has elements of Mannerism, Neo-Classical with hints of Modern architecture located in selected areas. Valletta did not escape World War II unscathed; although it remained essentially Baroque in character, the war left major scars on the city. In 1980 the City of Valletta was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[1]
Benjamin Disraeli visited Valletta in August 1830, on the recommendation of his friend, Lord Byron. He described Valletta as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen," and remarked that "Valletta, equals in its noble architecture, if it does not excel, any capital in Europe," and in subsequent letters to friends, that it is "comparable to Venice and Cádiz...not a single tree, but full of palaces worthy of Palladio."

Name
The official name the Order of Saint John gave to the city was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta. However, with the building of bastions, curtains and ravelins, along with the beauty of the baroque buildings along its streets, it became known as Superbissima — 'Most Proud', amongst the ruling houses of Europe. In Maltese it is colloquially known as Il-Belt, simply meaning "The City".

Government
Dr. Alexiei Dingli is the Mayor of Valletta and has been leading the City Council since 2008 . Dr. Alexiei Dingli was elected on the Nationalist Party Ticket (PN), an affiliate of the European People's Party, which holds the majority of the Counci

History
The foundation stone of Valletta was laid by the Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John, Jean Parisot de la Valette, on 28 March 1566; The Order (which was the long-time ruler of the city and the island) decided to found a new city on the Xiberras peninsula just after the end of the Siege of Malta in 1565, so as to fortify the Order's position in Malta, effectively binding the Knights to the island. The city was designed by Francesco Laparelli, while many of the most important buildings were built by Gerolamo Cassar. Valletta, hence, is an urban area which boasts many buildings from the 16th century and onwards, but most of them were built during the time of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller, or Knights of Malta).
On 28 March 1566, the building of the city was inaugurated, with La Valette himself placing the first stone, where there is now the Church of Our Lady of Victories. The city's plan was somewhat new to the Maltese Islands, as while other towns and cities had irregular winding streets and alleys, the new city had a rectangular design, without any Collacchio, that is an area restricted for important buildings. The streets were to be wide and straight, with the one in the middle starting from the City Gate and ending up at Fort Saint Elmo on the other end. Some of the bastions were to be 153 feet (47 m) tall.
Unfortunately, La Valette never saw the completion of the city, as he died on 21 August 1568, aged 74. He was buried in the church of Our Lady of the Victories, but after the St. John's Co-Cathedral was built, his remains were taken there. His tomb is now surrounded by those of the rest of the Grand Masters.
After the Knights and the brief French interlude, the next building boom in Valletta occurred during the British rule. Gates were widened, buildings demolished and rebuilt, houses widened and civic projects installed; however, the whole city and its infrastructure were damaged by air raids in World War II, notably losing its majestic opera house constructed at the city entrance in the 19th centur

Geography

St. Ursola Street, Valletta
The Valletta peninsula, which is fed by the two natural harbours of Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour, is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at Marsa; a cruise-liner terminal has been built recently in the Grand Harbour, along the old sea-wall of the duty free stores built by Grandmaster Manuel Pinto de Fonseca.
The city contains several buildings of historic importance, amongst which are St John's Co-Cathedral, formerly the Conventual Church of the Knights of Malta and home to the largest single work by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, his only signed work, and a priceless collection of seventeenth-century Flemish tapestries (alongside Republic Street); the Auberge de Castille et Leon, formerly the official seat of the Knights of Malta of the Langue of Castille, Léon and Portugal, now the office of the Prime Minister of Malta (found on the highest point of the city, above the bastions); the Magisterial Palace, built between 1571 and 1574, formerly the seat of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, now housing the Maltese Parliament and the offices of the President of Malta (opposite Palace Square along Republic Street); the National Museum of Fine Arts, a Rococo palace dating back to the late 1570s, which served as the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet during the British era, from 1789 onwards (in South Street); the National Museum of Archaeology, formerly the Auberge de Provence (Republic Street); the Manoel Theatre (Teatru Manwel, in Maltese), constructed in just ten months in 1731, by order of Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, and one of the oldest working theatres in Europe; the Mediterranean Conference Centre, formerly the Sacra Infermeria, built in 1574, one of Europe's most renowned hospitals during the time of the Knights of Malta; and the fortifications themselves, built by the Knights as a magnificent series of bastions, demi-bastions, ravelins and curtains, approximately 100 metres (330 ft) high, designed to protect the city from attack.

Aerial view of Valletta.
An area for people who could not afford their own residence is located within Valletta's own walls: In the original plans, the Order wanted a man-made creek to house the navy, however this could not be completed, and so the area, known as Manderaggio (in Maltese 'il-Mandraġġ'), was taken over by the homeless, so resulting in a jumble of buildings with dark alleyways in despicable sanitary conditions. The Manderaggio was partially demolished in the 1950s so as to build a housing area in Valletta. The area still remains a shabby area, though it is better than it was before.

Demographics
The population of Valletta has steadily decreased over the years, and is now reduced to about a third of its peak. This process was heavily accelerated after World War II as new development in outlying suburbs marked a shift of the population away from the capital city, but it continues as the centre of Malta's commercial and administrative activity.

Transport

Republic Street - a pedestrianised street in Valletta

Air
Valletta is served by Malta International Airport, which is located 8 km from the city.

Buses
Malta's public transport system, which uses buses, operates mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the city's entrance. Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas.

Park and Ride
In 2006, a park and ride system was implemented in order to increase the availability of parking spaces in the vicinity of the city. People can leave their personal vehicles in a Floriana parking lot and transfer to a van for the rest of the trip, which takes a mere few minutes.

Controlled Vehicular Access
In 2007 a congestion pricing scheme was implemented, the Controlled Vehicular Access system, in order to reduce long-term parking stays and traffic while promoting business in the city. An ANPR-based automated system takes photos of vehicles as they enter and exit the charging zone and vehicle owners get billed according to the duration of their stay. Various exemptions and flexible billing rules make the system the next evolutionary step of systems like the London congestion charge program.

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Where Will You Be Cruising Next?

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Where Will You Be Cruising Next?

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Blog Archive

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Should San Anton gardens be updated?

Guestbook

Labels

Valletta Gardens

Valletta

Valletta Cathedral

Shops in Valletta

A street in Valletta

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Valletta-The Capital City

Malta By Night