The most beautiful parks and gardens Floriana

They date from the 17th century and formed the private garden of the great master Pinto de Fonseca. They did not become botanical until a century later. You can see a wide variety of local and imported plants, from oak to laurel and cacti. You wander among giant cacti, ponds and cats. You will find a small cave decorated with corals, shells, pebbles and mosaics, once part of the Villa d'Argote. The belvedere dates from 1741. In the villa d'Argote, a small horticultural museum is set up. You go down the ramp, through the tunnel, over the barrier and down the steps again to reach the Jardin Saint-Philippe. This garden is planted with Mediterranean varieties such as the lemon tree, the cypress, but also with jacarandas, an American tree whose flowers are blue-purple. The garden extends over several levels, connected by stairs. Below, you can see the Bomb Gate surrounded by the four-lane roads that connect the city and Valletta with the rest of the country. It was erected during the extension of the fortifications in 1721 by the great master Perellos, whose coat of arms appears at the top. Back at the entrance to the gardens, you will find in front of you the small Sarria Chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. It houses works by Mattia Preti. Opposite it stands the Methodist church, in neo-Gothic style, completed in 1833, which today hosts cultural events.

Alongside the playground, the long gardens bordered by ponds, where the Maltese come to stroll, rest or flirt, are commonly known as The Mall. This partially enclosed area was created by Grand Master Lascaris in 1656, and was originally dedicated to pallamaglio, a type of tennis favoured by the knights of the time. It was converted into a garden in 1805, and from maglio to mall. Here you can see monuments and statues in honor of important figures in the country's history, such as Sir Ugo Mifsud, former Prime Minister, or Sir Adrian Dingli, famous jurist. At the entrance to the Mall, the imposing sculpture erected in 1989 commemorates 25 years of independence.

Continuingalong the Mall, at its southern end you'll come to the Wignacourt Fountain, which celebrates the arrival of the city's water supply in 1615. It also marks the entrance to the Argotti and Saint-Philippe botanical gardens.