EXCURSIONS

THE THREE CITIES

From the present day capital Valletta one can go by bus or by boat to the other side of the Grand Harbor to the three cities. The three harbor towns, enclosed as they are within the so-called Cottonera Lines, share the same history as that of Valletta, having all served as Malta's principal maritime towns for the last 400 years.

We will start the tour with a drive through the '3 Cities' known by the Maltese as "Bormla", "Isla" and "Birgu", proceeding on to visiting 'Vittoriosa 1565' Museum where we will see the snapshot of the history of Vittoriosa and Malta, and relive the Great Siege of 1565. One can see life-size Knights and Turks in action together with reconstructions of Dragut's Camp, Turks scaling walls, La Vallette thanks giving affair after the victory, the torture chamber as well as a video show, a souvenir shop and a wine/coffee bar.

Then we will see the Birgu Marina which is backed by a number of buildings built by the Knights, which were later to be used even by the British military and navy during the course of the 19th and 20th century. Amongst these buildings, one finds the Palace of the captain of galleys, the house of the general of the galleys, the naval stores and the old bakery. It is now open to the public as a Museum of Maritime History.

On our way back to the Hotel, we will stop for a short visit to the Turkish Cemetary situated in Marsa. This was already built before 1675 and they used to bury Turkish slaves that died here. The cemetery was built from the money of the Turkish Government for the burial of the Muslims. It was built in 1874 using a Muslim architectonic style, design by architect E.L.Galizia. When it was completed the remains from the old cemetery were taken to the new cemetery.

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