‘Crazy’: Young people spotted relaxing on the edge of Valletta bastions
The pair were sitting and walking on the top of the bastion
Two young people have been pictured relaxing, smoking and walking inches from the edge of the massive St John's Bastion overlooking the Valletta Ditch.
Photographer and longstanding Din l-Art Ħelwa member Daniel Cilia was on his way to an exhibition in Valletta when he was shocked to see "these two walking firstly behind the gardjola — which Din l-Art Ħelwa actually restored — then along the edge before sitting down talking”.
“They stayed there for around 10 minutes, talking and smoking with their feet hanging over the edge – then one stood up, and my heart stopped; at first it looked as if she might jump down,” he said, adding the pair departed soon after. “It was crazy”.
In the pictures, shared with Times of Malta to highlight the danger, the pair are perched on the edge of the bastion close to Hastings Gardens with their legs dangling over the side in one photo.
One of the pair can be seen walking along the edge of the bastion. Photo: Daniel Cilia.Another image shows one of the two walking along the top, perilously close to the edge, which faces a sheer drop to the ditch below.
Work began on the Valletta bastions in the 16th century as part of efforts to bolster the city’s fortifications. Hewn out of limestone, they tower above the grounds below and are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.