In times of old when knights were bold Valletta was dubbed the “city built by gentlemen for gentlemen.” This much-quoted description should, in our wonderfully enlightened times, be dumped. The knights, after all, were hardly gentlemen. The thought that only men were gentle while women were there to add who-knows-what to the gentlemen’s delight is horrible to even contemplate.

We transform ourselves and our circumstances by adapting to new realities. We need to face new realities properly or risk losing even the best things we have.

The Knights of Malta found a hill and out of it extracted, like a sculptor working on a piece of stone, a capital city. Valletta became a thriving place that for nearly half a millennium has mesmerised all who saw it or lived there. 

Valletta, built to a distinct plan, grew in stature, prospered and became a cosmopolitan centre. It underwent several transformations, but even when it faced hardships and wars it retained its soul; perhaps scarred, but it kept its vitality.

During the last three decades of the 20th Century, Valletta experienced one of the saddest periods of its history. Many who lived in the capital abandoned it. Residents left. Commerce which happened primarily in Valletta started moving out. 

It was slowly turning into a ghost town. The intrinsic beauty of the city was intact but few remained to enjoy the magnificence; its soul was being sucked out of it. 

Then somehow it dawned on the authorities that this was wrong. This ignited a spark which gave Valletta – slowly but distinctly – a new life, a new vitality, a new energy. 

The nearly comatose place became a hive of activity. People flocked back to Valletta. Properties were being bought, renovated, lived in. 

And the throngs came. And the hotels came. And the restaurants came. And success bred success; and the music played at full blast. And the wine, beer and spirits flowed at all times of day. Events of all types attracted even more people.

This is Valletta right now, a successful venture which has been revived but is now turning into its own monster. There is no restraint, no control, no idea of when a good thing can turn grotesque. 

In just over two decades, Valletta has gone from a ghost town to a majestic and serene presence but is now descending into squalor. There is too much noise, walking without bumping into crowds is almost impossible, and the city now looks tacky rather than majestic. The capital city has lost its charm.

All stakeholders should be given a voice

Even in the morning before the shops are open, when it should be lovely to stroll in calm solitude, the clamour of delivery trucks, the shouting of people, kills any poetic feeling that strollers, resident or guest, might dream about.

It’s never too late to stop this spiralling down of the capital city. A holistic plan should be put into action now, not tomorrow. It’s never too late to stop the regression. Action, however, must be taken without delay. Immediately. Proper action for Valletta’s sake, for Malta’s sake, and for the sake of world heritage. 

An action plan, headed by a proper group of experts, should be implemented. All stakeholders should be given a voice: residents, the local council, central government, architects, artists, employees, entrepreneurs, musicians, hoteliers, religious authorities , NGOs connected to heritage, restaurateurs, garbage collectors, police, transport personnel, and anyone involved in keeping Valletta going. Experts in urban living must be brought in to be part of the new vision for Valletta. 

What they have to say must not go into a report which is then left to rot. The authorities must listen to the action committee and act on the plan fortwith.

Long ago the Knights built a city out of rock. Today we have the city, the splendour and the means to make it live. We must not let it bleed to death. The knights built it, let’s not ruin it.

With the right attitude Valletta can be given – yet again – renewed glory and a resurgent soul. If not, this great contributor to our economy might suffer a death blow with no residents wanting to remain in the place. Even entrepreneurs will abandon it.

Every so often even gems need to be cleaned and restored to their former splendour. Why can’t we do the same with Valletta?

vc@victorcalleja.com