AX The Saint John

This magnificent little theater was commissioned in 1731 by António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, to meet the local demand for operas, pageants, and theatrical performances. With this distinguished heritage, the Manoel Theater ranks among the oldest theaters in Europe. The lavishly decorated auditorium features gilded box seats and plush velvet chairs. Every seat in the house offers a good view, and the acoustics of the oval room are excellent. Visitors may take a self-guided tour with an audio guide. There is also an interesting calendar of theatrical events including music concerts and classic opera. For tourists, one of the most delightful things to do in Valletta is attend an evening performance in this sensational historic setting. In January, the Manoel Theater hosts a two-week Baroque Festival featuring the music of Vivaldi and Bach.

Valletta's most monumental building, the Grand Master's Palace stands in the center of Palace Square, which is often used for traditional ceremonies. Grand Master Fra Pietro del Monte commissioned the palace in the 16th century as a residence for the Knights of Malta. Part of the building is now used as the Presidential Palace, serving as the office for the President of Malta. The rest of the building is open to the public as a museum. Tourists enter through an impressive courtyard, which leads upstairs to grandiose hallways with lavish 18th-century Baroque ceiling paintings. The enormous State Rooms are richly decorated with gilded moldings and works of art, such as a series of murals that illustrates a complete narration of the Great Siege of 1565. The Hall of the Ambassadors, also known as the "Red Room," is adorned with portraits of the Grand Masters, who led the knights to victory. One of the paintings depicts the dignified-looking Grand Master Jean de Vallette, founder of the city of Valletta. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Grand Master's Palace is the Palace Armory, which displays the knights' armor and weapons (swords, bows, firearms, and cannons) dating from the 15th century to the 18th century. This extensive collection of armory reveals that the Knights of Malta were not ordinary soldiers, they were aristocratic warriors equipped with the most elaborate armor and weapons that money could buy. Some of the exhibits allow visitors to feel the actual weight of the helmets. There are also examples of armor and weapons of the Ottoman Turks.

The Malta Experience is an audio-visual show that tells the dramatic story of the islands’ 7000 year history. Educational, informative and entertaining, the show runs through the turbulent history of a small island nation that has overcome almost unimaginable odds to survive and prosper. Situated in a purpose-built panoramic auditorium, the show chronicles Malta’s unique history in just 45 minutes. A must-see audio-visual treat, The Malta Experience will enrich your understanding of the islands, its people and the places you’ll see on your visit. Through beautiful imagery and a gripping commentary, The Malta Experience, the island’s premier audio-visual show has enthralled over 4 million visitors.

The Grand Harbour (Maltese: il-Port il-Kbir; Italian: Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks, wharves, and fortifications. The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by Saint Elmo Point and further sheltered by an isolated breakwater and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north west shore is formed by the Sciberras peninsula, which is largely covered by the city of Valletta and its suburb Floriana. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour, Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost to Marsa. The southeastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by Kalkara and the Three Cities: Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea. The harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset. With its partner harbour of Marsamxett, Grand Harbour lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Development has grown up all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one large conurbation. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta's Northern and Southern Harbour Districts. Together, these districts contain 27 of 68 local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which make up over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.

he Upper Barrakka Gardens (Maltese: Il-Barrakka ta' Fuq) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion, which was built in the 1560s. The bastion's lower tier contains the Saluting Battery. The garden's terraced arches were built in 1661 by the Italian knight Fra Flaminio Balbiani. They were originally roofed, but the ceiling was removed following the Rising of the Priests in 1775. he gardens were originally used to offer recreation to the knights of the Italian langue of the Order of Saint John, but were opened to the public following the end of the French occupation of Malta in 1800. In the park there are several monuments and memorials to a number of prominent people, including Gerald Strickland, Sir Thomas Maitland and Sir Winston Churchill. A replica of the statue Les Gavroches (The street boys) by the Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino is also located in the garden. The original is to be found in MUŻA. It is the highest point of the city walls, and thus its bordering terrace offers a clear view over the Grand Harbour, the Three Cities, as well as over the shipyard and the lower-lying parts the capital. The gardens are linked to Valletta's ditch and the nearby Lascaris Wharf by the Barrakka Lift. The first lift on the site was built in 1905, but was closed in 1973 and dismantled in 1983. The lift can be seen in operation in the 1968 British adventure film, A Twist of Sand. A new lift was inaugurated on 15 December 2012.

St John's Co-Cathedral (Maltese: Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann) is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1572 and 1577, having been commissioned by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the Conventual Church of Saint John (Maltese: Knisja Konventwali ta' San Ġwann). The church was designed by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar, who designed several of the more prominent buildings in Valletta. In the 17th century, its interior was redecorated in the Baroque style by Mattia Preti and other artists. The interior of the church is considered to be one of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe