Malta Ghost Tours is organising a nighttime walking tour of Vittoriosa on January 12 and 26 with a special focus on the city’s ghostly past.

This tour is a normal-paced walking tour of Vittoriosa by night, starting from the Main Gate near Café Riche at 8pm. The tour will last two hours and will be held in English.

Vittoriosa, or Birgu in Maltese, is the city that took part in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It is known as Cittá Vittoriosa (the victorious city) and is famous for being an ancient maritime hub. Since it has a rich history in military and maritime activities, “it is not surprising that the place is crowded with ghosts”, say the organisers.

Some of the city’s more gruesome historical anecdotes will be discovered during the tour, such as the story of how, during the Great Siege, prisoners were beheaded by the Knights of St John and their heads were used as cannonballs against the Turks.

“In fact, the city still has ghosts roaming around in search of their missing head,” quip the organisers.

The city also served as the headquarters of the Holy Roman Inquisition whose torture methods are still famous to this day.

Public executions of those who confessed to a crime or who practised the dark arts were the norm, they say, and it is also said that the Inquisitor’s Palace once even had a well of swords used as a portal towards eternal damnation.

World War II between 1940 and 1943 also caused inescapable deaths and destruction throughout the city.

The walking tour is taking place at Vittoriosa, starting from the Main Gate by Café Riche on January 12 and 26 at 8pm. Anyone interested in taking part in the tour can buy a ticket for €18 from colourmytravel.com/birgu-ghost-tour. Comfortable footwear, warm clothing and umbrellas are recommended. Guests are not accepted without pre-bookings. The tour is generally accessible but includes streets with stairs that might offer no alternative method of passage. The itinerary is subject to change due to other events or activities taking place in Vittoriosa that are beyond the tour organisers’ control.