Walking Through the Secret Alleys of Valletta
Historic house with eroded walls in St. Ursula Street
Did you imagine Valletta to be a classy capital with high concentration of culture and arts? Probably you did, and so did I.
Prior to my first visit I haven’t watched any documentary and for some reason I always associated Valletta with Jerusalem. Probably for the limestone and the iconic cupola that is standing out and for the fact that Malta is a filming location with Middle East scenery.
Now, let us go for a walk from St. Paul Street down along Old Theatre Street and East Street to the Lower Barrakka Gardens. From there we will follow the Mediterranean Street, passing by Fort St. Elmo to finish our day on the other side of Valletta facing Manoel Island.
Old Theatre Street
Our favourite alleys in Valletta are those that take you down from St Paul Street to the area between Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens. Old Theatre Street (Maltese: Triq it-Teatru l-Antik) is one of them and it stretches from the Northern to the Southern side of Valletta. It is named after Teatru Manoel which was built in 1731 by the Order of the Knights Hospitaller.
Small altar and shrine
Old Theatre Street
You will see small altars and shrines of Maria everywhere in Malta, but this particular one in Old Theatre Street caught our attention. It is integrated into a wall that seems to be a puzzle of limestone blocks being replaced over time and it is still being decorated with flowers.
Every balcony looks different here, some in a good state and others falling apart. The locals who still live here added plants to the alleys, combining the limestone with green.
St. Ursula and Archbishop Street
We now make a turn into St. Ursula Street and we’re impressed by the degree of erosion that some of the houses have. One of them is the house from our article cover. Would these houses be more beautiful if they were in a perfect state? Probably not.
Trqi L-Arcisqof with Triq Il-Lvant
St. Ursula Street is accessible by car and it doesn’t give us the same cozy alley vibes. So we make a turn into Archbishop Street (Maltese: Triq L-Arcisqof) and as we walk down we can see the sea already.
East Street and Lower Barrakka Gardens
Arriving at East Street (Maltese: Triq Il-Lvant), the sun has gotten quite strong since it is midday and there are no more buildings that give us shade.
Scenes for famous movies like Munich, Thirteen Hours and Midnight Express were filmed here. Walking along East Street we can enjoy the view across Grand Harbour towards the Three Cities and Kalkara.
Lonely sailing ship in the Grand Harbour
After just 100 metres we arrive at the Lower Barrakka Gardens. This little park is filled with benches so you can rest in the shade. In the centre of the park you will see the Monument to Sir Alexander Ball, a neoclassical temple.
You will also find commemorative plaques dedicated to the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and the Prague spring of 1968. It is very common to see monuments in Malta that remind of European historic events and tragedies.
Monument to Sir Alexander Ball, the first Civil Commissioner of Malta
Mediterranean Street and San Bastjan
We now continue to walk towards Fort St. Elmo, passing by a spot that fishers use as their embarkation point to go out into the sea. The Grand Harbour entrance isn’t far from here and those who watched Gladiator II will recall the scenes of Roman ships entering the port of Ostia.
Embarkation point near the Grand Harbour entrance
Fort St. Elmo is definitely worth a visit since the most intensive fighting during the Great Siege of 1565 has happened right here. The star shaped fort held 28 days as the Ottomans attempted another invasion of Malta.
We continue walking along San Bastjan until we get to Triq Marsamxett. We have now made a nice circle that took us back right to the other end of Old Theatre Street.
Balconies facing Manoel Island
Here, we can enjoy the views towards Manoel Island and Sliema. Most of the houses are in a great state and the balconies shine in different colours.
Malta’s most beautiful cupola covers the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Standing at the very bottom of Old Theatre Street we can spot the cupola of the iconic Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Built by the Carmelites in 1570, the church was bombarded during World War II and suffered serious damage. In 1958 it was rebuilt from the ruines and some of the art and historic objects were forever lost.
Our route through Valletta — Starting and ending at Old Theatre Street
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