Cottonera
From World travel guide
Cottonera is in Malta. Composed of the three adjacent cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Senglea, they are collectively also known as the Three Cities.
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Get in
The Three Cities are on the opposite side of the Grand Harbour to Valletta, one can see the peninsulas beautifully from anywhere on the south side of the capital. They can be easily reached by bus from Valletta, the ride takes about 15 minutes. Also by car it is quickly reached, but then what isn't on Malta?
Get around
The Three cities is made up of two adjacent peninsulas each about a kilometer in length; Vittoriosa and Senglea, and the area which joins the two; Cospicua. If one is going to explore all three of the towns then taking a car is a good idea, especially as the public transport doesn't actually go anywhere onto the peninsulas. But if one is there for seeing just Vittoriosa or Senglea then just parking somewhere at the beginning of the peninsulas rather than trying to navigate the maze-like streets is the best option.
Understand
Vittoriosa was originally called Birgu (and still is by the Maltese), and is probably as ancient as Mdina having served throughout Malta's history as its main port town. When the Knights of St. John were given control of Malta by the pope and the Holy Roman emperor they, to the relief of the local aristocracy didn't choose Mdina as its base but Birgu instead. They promptly set out to strengthen the ancient defences and build 'auberges' for each of the different 'langues' ( a langue is a group of knights from a particular nation).
The Tukish sultan Suleyman decided to try and take Malta in 1565 and sent an armada with 30-40,000 men with Birgu as the home of the knights being the main objective. The siege of Birgu lasted several months and culminated in a dramatic episode when the Turks finally breached the gates. Grand master of the knights Jean de la Vallette then decided to blow up the bridge linking the town to Fort St. Angelo at the end of the peninsula, so that none of the knights would be able to withdraw and would have to die making a last stand on the central square side by side with the locals of Birgu who had fought with them. Just as the Turks were pouring into the town down the short road to the square a group of Maltese who had ridden down from Mdina set to torching the virtually unguarded Turkish camp giving them the impression that they wer being attacked from the rear. The Turks retreated in disarray mere yards from their objective, a victory which would have changed the course of Mediterannean history.
In recognition of this event the name Vittoriosa meaning victory was given to the town. The knights were hailed in Europe as saviours of the west and acquired huge funds with which they set forth to build Valletta ending Birgu's sort spell as capital of Malta.
The area of the Grand Harbour became very important during the 19th century for Malta as it became a stop-over for any British ships between Gibraltar and the Suez canal. In this area, in particular further south around Senglea became the industrial centre of the country with many docks for shipbuilding being constructed. Sadly this made it a main target for an extremely harsh bombing campaign during WWII, the area around the Grand Harbour counts as one of the most intensely bombed in the world which caused incalculable damage to this historic area. As the main industry has moved away from the area, and the tourist areas are concentrated in Sliema and further north the Cottonera is mercifully spared from the unchecked tourist development which has scarred other parts of the country, this area is surprisingly devoid of any tourism.
See
The entire area was devastated by Nazi bombers during WWII, and so much of the towns are rebuilt. The place with the most interesting remaining buildings is Vittoriosa, although the tip of Senglea is worth visiting for the view. Vittoriosa has a history going back to pre-Roman times, whereas the other two are from after the great siege of 1565 and thus have a lot less going for them historically in any case. All the following attractions are on Vittoriosa.
The main gate and the walls were all manned by groups of Knights from different countries and are labelled as such, it is well worth exploring these interesting fortifications and pondering the difference in size when compared to Valletta.
The Inquisitor's palace would be worth it, especially the impressive courtroom where judgments were read, but the 5 Lira pricetag is just too much for the small attraction it really is.
The Church Museum just off the left of the main square is a great little museum in the old style, a collection of artifacts related to Vittoriosa's past all kept in wooden display cabinets, ranging from the mundane to unique items such as de la Vallette's hat and sword and a set of banned 16th century playing cards which have the tarot on the back. Entrance is free, but do ask caretaker Joseph to give you a guided tour, this wizened old man is a true raconteur and will tell you about his experiences during WWII in the town and will graphically describe Vallette's last stand just outside on the square in 1565.
The Maritime museum is apparently even a dissapointment to enthusiasts for the subject.
Fort St. Angelo and the area around it is possibly -the- hidden gem of Malta. This fortress has been here since and possibly already before Roman times and was in 1565 the main objective to capture for Suleyman's armada. It was used until the seventies in true decadent colonial style by the British as officer's accommodation, the swimming pool half filled with scum on top of the ancient fortifications serves as a surreal reminder of this. Since then it has decayed steadily, only the chapel and an adjacent building have been returned to the Knights of St John and are clearly restored (in contrast to the rest), but as the Cavalier of St. John in Valletta they are completely inaccesible to the public. The lack of any further restoration adds to the charm, there is something very evocative about these unpolished ruins. However in the fall of 2005 apparently someone was hurt by falling masonry and so now the fort is officially closed. I found however that just by telling the caretaker at the gate that you know the place well (the officer's buildings, the knight's office, the swimming pool on the top of the fort) and that you'll be careful he'll probably let you through.
I highly recommend; after leaving the fort one can turn right instead of left and continue further along the length of the peninsula along a little used path, up some stairs and then through an old little gateway. You might have seen on the London Underground ads with a list of the top 5 places to swim in the world, well as far as I'm concerned the tip of Vittoriosa peninsula should be up there. Virtually noone comes here, swimming at the base of this majestic castle with the stunning view of the Grand Harbour around you is just incredible. And ofcourse, the thought that virtually all the other tourists who want to swim are crammed onto one of Malta's 6 beaches just heightens the sense that you've found a little hidden piece of paradise.
Do
What few know is that Venetian gondolas are descendants of Phoenician ships, Malta has these types of boats as well but here they are called daizas or and one can get a 40 minute round trip of the Grand Harbour or a ride across the harbour back to Valletta for a meazly 1.5 Lira p.p. The Daizas leave from the beginning of the Vittoriosa yacht marina, just look for the group of old men drinking tea.
Eat
On the central square of Vittoriosa, where in 1565 Jean de la Vallette was to make his last stand when the walls were breached only to see the Turks panic and turn around right before him, one can now have lunch in the modest cafe Brazil.
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