Valletta is definitely a gem of a city but increasing volumes of noise, crowds and rubbish are threatening to make that jewel lose its lustre.
Its predicament was dramatically, if comically, portrayed over the weekend when a desperate resident threw a bucket of water over a crowd of revellers enjoying a live band in the street below.
Go back a decade or two and Valletta was often dead at night. That once-grand old city was a shadow of its former self. It was the last place people thought of spending a night out with friends, or finding the ideal bar or restaurant.
The tables have certainly turned and the city has been revitalised during the day and night but there is one prevalent problem. Many commercial establishments have embarked on an orgy of plain greed and a lack of class which is threatening to spoil what should be a privileged experience for both visitors and residents. Valletta is creaking under the weight of commercialisation and an inadequate approach to hygiene.
Its streets are cluttered with tables and chairs and billboards blocking passage for pedestrians. Rubbish from shops, restaurants and cafes pile up on street corners, particularly those on Republic Street near fast food restaurants. The so-called gentrification of our capital has also come with an unjustified hike in prices but not necessarily in quality.
Valletta is once again under siege, not from an invading army but from bar and restaurant owners who don’t know what the word ‘atmosphere’ means. The recent regulations allowing music to be played in many of Valletta’s main streets until 1am have drawn the anger of the city’s residents, who describe the relaxed rules as “obscene”. Even the Malta Developers Association is concerned about their investors and boutique hotel owners, who find themselves squeezed between bars blaring out loud music.
Many of us have visited the grand capitals of Europe, from Vienna to Paris to Rome, but the authorities there have taken all necessary precautions to make sure the city does not turn into an open-air nightclub, which simply destroys the historic feel of the city. We are here talking about a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Is it too much to ask for it to be spared the cacophony of loud beats which have drowned out Paceville, St Julian’s, Buġibba and others?
While there’s a will to highlight the city’s past, there’s not always the desire to preserve it. The glass panel over the kukkanja stone found in St George’s Square has been obscured with humidity for years, and a panel over the ancient foundations at the City Gate entrance has weeds growing inside – a metaphor for the good intentions surrounding Valletta’s heritage that have been left to decay.
There’s moral decay setting in as well, seen by the violent incidents that have blighted the city recently. In January, an attack in Valletta left a child with a broken leg and saw two 16-year-old boys charged with assault. A woman said she was assaulted and had her hair ripped out by a gang of teens in December. The atmosphere in the city is in danger of becoming unwelcoming and yet there’s not enough of a police presence to nip these kinds of incidents in the bud.
British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli loved Valletta so much that he declared it “a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen”. If we are not careful and give in to greed and apathy when we should be working to enhance charm and cleanliness, our grand capital will fast lose its crown, the way it did in the late 20th century.