We had a little adventure today. The weather forecast was for showers and a passing thunderstorm or two, but by mid-morning, it was a fair day with clouds and sun. The real kicker was the wind. It was very, very windy with gusts up to 25-30 mph. But we decided to set off for one of our favorite spots from 2016, Sa Maison Garden in Floriana. We stumbled upon this place when we took our monumental trek in 2016 from Sliema to Valletta and back, about 8 kilometers.
Today we didn’t walk but rather took the bus to near the gardens. Our stop across the street was crowded with passengers waiting for the bus to Valletta. A couple of buses came by that were already overflowing and did not stop, much to the ire of those waiting. I suggested to Christine we walk to the stop prior to Antik and try to get on a bus at a less crowded stop. We arrived just in the nick of time as a Valletta bus was just at the stop. Although the bus was full, because there were only 4 passengers waiting to board, as opposed to 20 at the next stop, we were allowed to board. Then the bus sailed past the passengers waiting at the next stop. We felt a little smug.
We exited the bus at the Pieta stop and first walked through a pine grove on a hillside thinking we could get to the garden, but that didn’t work. We ended up at the back of the Argotti Gardens with no way to get through their wall and fence. So back down to the street we went. We then found the street that would take us up the hill to the Sa Maison.
One of the things I remembered on this street was a housing block that had a sculpture of a cow’s head above the doorway, and sure enough I had remembered correctly.
Then taking our lives in hand, we crossed the busy street into the garden. The entrance is exactly at a curve in the road and one cannot see in both directions at the curve. Christine was below the curve and I was above, and after one aborted attempt, we successfully crossed the road without getting mowed down.
The initial area of the garden was exactly as we had remembered it. At this level of the garden we were standing between two walls of rampart and bastion. The trees and vegetation offered wonderful shade and quiet.
We were then very disappointed because although the garden was 5 levels the last time we visited, today there is a large ramp that you must walk down to the lowest level. There is no exit from the ramp to the middle levels. I’m not surprised, though, because I remember the stone steps between levels being in disrepair. So, apparently, the decision was made to build the ramp from top to bottom, bypassing any dangerous steps.
The garden and its residence was constructed in the middle of the 18th century as a shooting lodge. Between 1842 and 1856 it was a residence of Lady Julia Lockwood. In that period the garden was named il-Gnien Tal-Milorda, meaning her Ladyship’s garden. The Lady’s house was later demolished and the garden’s maintenance passed to military forces until 1903 when it was overtaken again, this time by the Civil Government.
The British Army used Sa Maison Garden as an observation post for Marsamxett port. As a mark of military presence in the gardens you can see regimental crests engraved in the stone walls of the setting. You will also find a miniature castle model carved in Maltese stone which was dedicated to the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment.
The view from the lowest level is still pretty spectacular over Marsamxett Harbor and the Ta’ Xbiex Marina.
Although we were very disappointed about having to skip 3 levels in the garden, we were delighted to discover a new finding. There was a large area of the bastion wall covered with scaffolding and a green net. I think it had been under construction, too, in 2016. Christine walked to the very end of the garden near the scaffolding and called to me. Through the end wall of the bastion was an arched entrance and tunnel. The tunnel had recently been painted white and lights set all along it. We walked through the tunnel and found several arched doorways into store rooms. It was pretty clear to me that these probably held munitions or other supplies over time and especially during WWII.
We continued on through the tunnel and out the other side of the bastion into a courtyard. There were stone ramps and other arched doorways.
We walked up a couple of levels into a larger courtyard. It appeared as though the area was starting to be used as an art exhibit area. There was a stacked stone sculpture in an alcove and a doorway that had a colorful surround.
Within some of the store rooms at this level we began to understand that this is a huge project to renovate the building and turn it into an arts center.
When I got back to the flat, I did a little research on this project and learned that it is being undertaken by the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space (MICAS) and the project will focus on giving contemporary art and artists a space for exhibits and residence. Through MICAS, Malta aims to become a new proactive player in the world of contemporary art.
What I found interesting is the history of the building. The building is known as Ospizio and Ritirata. It is part of a sprawling complex of buildings and fortifications that dates back to the time of the Knights of St John, and characterizes one of their most complex builds on the island. The site has a long chronology and checkered history, with what is today known as the Ospizio initially starting life as a polverista – or gunpowder store. Built in 1665, the building had three windmills for grinding and manufacturing gunpowder. The building was repurposed into the first state institution aimed at accommodating the elderly in 1729. However, it proved to be not quite fit for that purpose, being rather dark and gloomy with two lower level basements that were too small to satisfy the demand. In 1732, Grand Master de Vilhena (his palace was in Mdina) added new buildings to the site, as well as a fountain. The new improved hospice or Casa di Carità housed around 380 residents a year. Over the next century, the facility was used as a multipurpose residence housing various typed of people including prostitutes, the elderly, foundlings, orphans, mentally ill and female prisoners. The facility was eventually closed and the buildings were transferred to the British Army. During WWI, the site became a manufacturing workshop for making hospital furniture and medical equipment such as beds, crutches and wheelchairs for the many wounded that were being brought to Malta. The building continued to be used for various purposes until the late 1900s. The MICAS project has just recently taken over the building and by 2021, their plans will be completed for renovation and use of the building. It will be great fun to return and see what the building has become.
After our tour of the MICAS project, we decided to walk into Valletta and revisit both Upper Barrkaka Garden and Cafe Cordina. We picked up a couple of pastizzis (the yummy cheese pies) and had these for lunch sitting on a bench overlooking Grand Harbor. It was so incredibly windy. Trying to take photos, one had to keep a tight grip on the phone to avoid having it carried away.
We walked down Republic Street to Cafe Cordina. Christine wanted to take a picture of the room with the mirrors. Unfortunately, the room was reserved and we couldn’t be seated there, but Christine went in and got a picture or two.
We were seated in another room, which was really loud. All the surfaces and floors were either marble or granite and with the conversations and the plates and cutlery hitting the hard tables, it was difficult to hear anything but that. However, we managed to enjoy our cappuccinos and a little treat.
We walked back to the bus terminus. We passed by the beautiful Palazzo Ferriera, where we ran into the other day to keep dry. It is such a beautiful building, newly renovated, and quite distinguished. It sits across from the famous Valletta Opera House that was bombed and destroyed during the war. You can see one of the pillars from the Opera House in the photo.
We said our goodbyes to Valletta as we walked to the bus terminus. We won’t see the city again until our next visit to Malta, and there will be a next visit, I predict.