Mediterranean Cruise 2012 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Links to Port Pages
|
Valletta, Malta Thursday, 22 March Thursday morning was relaxed as we arrived in Valletta around noon. We slept in a bit and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. As we neared Malta we decided to go up on deck and watch as we sailed into the harbor. Valletta looks as it did 500 years ago or more and is quite the medieval city. History of the island includes a significant investment and time (over 250 years) by the Knights of Malta, Order of St John of Jerusalem. The day was hazy but still a magnificent arrival.
We departed the ship a little before noon to take our ship tour "Treasures in the Fortress City". The tour was a wonderful walking tour through the city with stops at certain key sites and visits to the National Museum of Fine Arts, St John's Co-Cathedral, and Casa Rocca Piccola. This provided us an opportunity to really see the city and the architecture. Many of the buildings were built in the 1600's by the Knights as they established their churches and homes for each country they came from originally. The city is a World Heritage site and a marvel to wander through. Now that we are back we see that this is another place you could spend a number of days visiting and exploring. Could be another trip if we win the lottery! As we began the walking tour after being driven up to the top of the city in a van (thank goodness!) we went to the Upper Barrakka Gardens and looked out over the harbor at Forts St Michael and St Angelo on the opposite site of the harbor. We had just missed the ceremonial firing of the cannons at noon, but we did get to see one of the cannons being cleaned! The gardens is a lovely place to just sit and enjoy the breezes. Then it was on down through the town heading to the museum, our first stop.
After we completed the museum we walked through town to St John's Co-Cathedral. As there are two cathedrals on the island, this one was named a "co". The church was commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the conventual church of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John. The cathedral is magnificent and also houses a treasure we were not expecting. Caravaggio painted his famous "The Beheading of St John the Baptist" while in Malta and the painting hangs in the church. We were not allowed to take pictures in that area, but it is truly magnificent. It had recently been returned after an extensive renovation. Additionally the Knights and Grand Masters are buried in the floor of the cathedral and each has an inlaid marble tomb. Most of the area could not be walked upon, but we located the official website for the church and it has an interactive map for the church, chapels, and all the tombs. If you are interested, you should really go look at their site here - St. John's Co-Cathedral. We've learned a lot about what we saw that day! Here is a video of the pictures from inside the cathedral.
We continued to our last stop and passed by the palace of the Grand Masters. The Casa Rocca Piccola is the home of the de Piro family, an ancient Maltese lineage. Their home was originally one fourth of a home owned by Knights of St John and was given or sold to the family. The 9th Marquis de Piro, Baron Nicholas de Piro, and his Marchioness live in the home and give tours. Our tour guide was in fact the Marchioness. She is witty and very informative of their family history, even though she is English. We only took a few photos inside as we were listening very carefully to her describe their collections of buttons, fans, Pope's shoes, furniture, and much more. After a glass of refreshment we headed to the van, waiting outside, and returned to the port. A little shopping and we were back on the ship.
Our departure from Valletta provided some wonderful evening pictures of the island and city lights
We thoroughly enjoyed our day in Valletta, but looked forward to our first Sea Day the next day.
Postings before the Trip: We are scheduled to arrive in Valletta, Malta Thursday, 22 March 2012 at 12:00 pm.
From Wikipedia - "Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's principal administrative district. However, Valletta, like many historical city centres, forms part of a larger continuous urban agglomeration; this is often referred to as "Greater Valletta." According to Eurostat, (Greater) Valletta has a population of 368,250 at the city level. Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as Knights Hospitaller. The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. The city is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Città Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains and ravelins along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches, led the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima — 'Most Proud'."
Update 22 January 2012: We've scheduled an excursion for our day on Malta. We arrive around noon so we will also enjoy a relaxing morning and leisurely breakfast. From the Silversea Website Tour List - "Treasures in the Fortress City 22 Mar 2012 | 4 Hours | Afternoon Discover the splendid beauty, architecture and history of Malta during this scenic, Silver Shore Collection half-day excursion through Valletta. National Museum of Fine Arts Depart the pier for the brief drive to Valletta, and a visit to the National Museum of Fine Arts. The museum offers a multifaceted overview of the art and artistic expression in Malta from the late-Medieval times to present-day. Highlights from the collection on display include paintings by leading local and internationally-acclaimed artists, precious Maltese silverware, statuary in marble, bronze and wood, fine furniture, and splendid majolica pieces. St. John's Co-Cathedral Next, proceed on-foot down the main thoroughfare en route to St. John's Co-Cathedral. Upon arrival, a visit is made inside the church, which is renowned for its striking interior and a staggering collection of Malta's finest art treasures, including Caravaggio's famous work, The Beheading of St. John. Leaving the church, your stroll continues on to Casa Rocca Piccola. Casa Rocca Piccola Casa Rocca Piccola is home of the 9th Marquis and Marchioness de Piro. The owners greet your arrival, and take you on a guided tour of the property, which offers a unique historical insight into the customs and traditions of Maltese nobility over the last 400 years. View a superb collection of furniture, silver and paintings that embody the aesthetic riches of this country. Weather permitting, refreshments are served in the courtyard before commencing the brief drive back to the pier." |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
