Maltese Fortifications – Fort Saint Elmo at Valletta Part 1

One of the Fortifications full of never ending history around the Maltese Islands is FORT SAINT ELMO (in Maltese as FORTI SANT’ IERMU) , situated at Valletta. Building it started in 1552 and it stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort […]

Maltese Islands – Mgarr Ix-Xini at Gozo

MGARR IX-XINI, is a very picturesque bay set within a creek and a steep sided natural valley. It is close to Għajnsielem, Xewkija and Sannat on the island of Gozo. During the Order of Saint John it was apparently an occasional hiding place for the Knights galleys and was also used by the invading Turks to load captive Gozitans onto their ships […]

Maltese Fortifications – Mgarr ix-Xini Tower

MGARR IX-XINI TOWER is the largest of the coastal watchtowers that the Knights of Malta erected on the island of Gozo. It watches over the entrance to the bay of Mġarr ix-Xini. Mġarr ix-Xini Tower was completed by June 1661, to a plan by Mederico Blondel. It cost an estimated 857 scudi, which were financed by the Gozo University. The design […]

Maltese Fortifications – Lippija Tower

LIPPIJA TOWER also known as ĠNEJNA TOWER is a small watchtower overlooking Ġnejna Bay, limits of Mġarr, Malta. It was completed in 1637 as the first of the 10 Lascaris towers (9 are still intact and other one was destroyed ). LIPPIJA TOWER was built in 1637 on the edge of Wardija Ridge overlooking Ġnejna Bay on the north west coast of Malta. The tower has Għajn Tuffieħa and Nadur […]