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Places to Visit in Valletta |
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VALLETTA MAP |
Upper Barracca Gardens-& views over
the
Grand Harbour-Valletta
Malta
 This is one of two gardens, one named Upper Barracca and the other Lower
Barracca, facing the Grand Harbour. Both offer a panoramic view of the Grand
Harbour. The Upper Barracca Gardens offer the best view since they're more centered and at a much higher level. The garden was the gift of an eighteenth-century knight. The Anglican Garrison Church partly intrudes upon it. The garden is built on top of a demi-bastion. The Grand Harbour side of the
Gardens is surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. The view of the Harbour from this vantage point is magnificent and many people spend hours taking in the site.
An arcade on the same side gives this
area the feeling of a balcony. A number of statues, monuments and
plaques fill the gardens. A small fountain full of water-lilies and gold
fish is located at the center of the garden. A kiosk located on the
south side offers cool drinks, ice-cream and tea and coffee to weary
tourists and other visitors to the gardens. During a visit in the summer
of 1995 I noticed a large number of cats roaming the garden and climbing
the old trees. From
here you can enjoy unrivalled views across one of the world's largest and
deepest natural harbours, Grand Harbour, and over to the Three Cities. Upper Barracca was originally the private gardens of the Italian Knights whose inns of
residence (auberge) lies close by. The paths are lined with trees including a
pistachio. Below the gardens is a saluting battery which has been turned into a
small formal terrace. The busts, statues and plaques in the gardens chart
various personalities and events in Maltese history. Of special interest are the
bronze group, known as Les Gavroches, by an early 20th century Maltese sculptor,
Antonio Sciortino; the statue of Lord Strickland, a former prime minister of
Malta; the sepulchral monument of Governor Sir Thomas Maitland, known locally as
Lord Tom, who died in 1816. For over two centuries, Upper Barracca has been a
popular meeting place. |
