Mansions and private mansions to visit Malta

Sold in Birgu by knights, they are bought by individuals who turn their structures into residences. You will notice that strangely a house was built in the middle of the facade, leaving the side sides visible.

Recent studies have made it possible to update architectural elements dating back to a bygone era to knights, such as a Byzantine tile.

This XVI century mansion was inhabited by the ninth marquis of Piro and his family. During the time of the knights, the residence was attached to the Italian language inn. It bears the name of its first owner, Don Pietro La Rocca, admiral of the Order of St. John. Today, it is the Marquise de Piro herself who gives a one-hour tour of the place.

The staircase. The two vertical paintings, The Invention of the Electric Light Bulb and The Mechanization of the Wheat Industry, were painted by Ramiro Raffaele Cali for Antonio Cassar Torregiani, the only industrialist to have lived in Casa Rocca Piccola.

The chapel, dating back to the ancestors of the Marquis, has an altarpiece painted by Pietro Paolo Caruana and showing the Virgin and Child venerated by Saint Gaetano. The treasure of the chapel includes some very beautiful pieces, donated by Popes Pius IX and Leo XII.

The room of the canopy bed. The canopy bed is that of the great-grandmother of the Marquis Orsola Agius Caruana. She gave birth to nine children here.

The green room. You will notice some picturesque details in the portraits: the little girl wearing a red bracelet for superstition, with mountains in the background, symbols of Sicily, because in Malta there are no mountains! You will also see the invitations for the coronations of George VI and Elizabeth II.

The library, with several paintings and portraits, including the watercolor of Louisa, daughter of the Marquis.

The Porphyry Room is named for its mural which imitates... porphyry (a volcanic stone). Its sixteenth-century beamed ceiling is the only one in the house that has remained intact. In this room there are several portraits of the Piro ancestors.

In the blue room, note a series of surgical instruments on the table. The blue room is also the television room (look carefully behind the panels).

The summer dining room makes you want to settle down and put the napkin on your lap, waiting for the gala meal suggested by a beautifully set table.

The Chinese room: several small vinaigrettes and other objects displayed in the Chinese showcase.

The archive room: a large collection of the family's historical documents is displayed here. They were recently organized by an Italian doctoral student.

The air raid shelters: in order to protect themselves from the bombings during the Second World War (Valletta was one of the hardest hit cities), the Piro's transformed their two wells into air raid shelters.

France has three languages represented in Birgu, with the Auberge de France, the Auberge de Provence and the Auberge d'Auvergne, all located in the Collachio district. The Auberge de France is one of the most beautiful in Birgu, with an elaborately decorated façade attributed to the architect Bartholomeo Menga.

The vestibule of this residence is modest in size, but its ceiling is Renaissance, and you'll reach a loggia via an attractive staircase. On the main door, you can see the original fleur-de-lys emblem.

After the knights left for Valletta, the inn became private property, then was used as a communal school at the start of the English occupation, then as a carpentry workshop, until it was finally declared state property.

During the Second World War, the Auberge de France in Valletta was destroyed, leaving the one in Birgu as the only Auberge de France in Malta. In 1980, a museum of political history was installed here. It failed to attract much interest and is now closed. The hostel now houses the local Council and hosts occasional thematic and art exhibitions.

This large mansion of the th century, typical of Rabat, is not a museum, but a particular hotel that is still the private residence office of the family owner of the site. This vast residence was built in the th century from an ancient medieval fortress. In the th century, some baroque elements were added. By visiting the places, you will find the sumptuous life train of the local nobility of the time. You walk through the rooms, the chapel, the lounges, all rich in furniture and art.

This is the residence of chaplains during the reign of the Order. They, often councillors of great masters and knights, have the role of writing correspondence and treaties.

The original center of the village, around the church of St. George, served as a residence for the knights and has preserved some fine old houses, including the Palazzo Stagno. Built in 1589 for the Stagno family of Sicilian origin, it was mainly occupied by knights of the Order. Superb moldings around the windows, beautifully crafted facade, all in a rather orthodox, Maltese style, rather inspired by the Spanish colonial styles of Peru or Mexico, as the English architect Quentin Hughe would say about it.