Discover Malta's Three Cities (& why they have as much historical value as Valletta)
They are commonly referred to as the Three Cities or simply the Cottonera. But what ties Birgu (Vittoriosa), Bormla (Cospicua) and Isla (Senglea) together? The Knights of Malta. The three fortified cities overlooking the Grand Harbour are of as much historic value and charm as the capital city of Valletta.
When the Knights of St John arrived in Malta in 1530, they did not take much liking to the old capital of Mdina. Mdina was perched high on a hill far away from the coast, which was the safety standard in its time. But the Knights were seafarers and they had ships, so the Grand Harbour was perfect for them. The Castrum Maris and the natural peninsulas within the harbour became the home of the Knights of Malta.
Birgu
The Knights took over the medieval Castrum Maris, or Castello del Mare, and modified it with fortifications into the Fort St Angelo we know today. A city began to sprawl on its outskirts - il-Borgo del Castello. The Knights fortified the city with bastion walls and used it as their headquarters until they built Valletta, right after the Great Siege of 1565. Birgu remained unconquered, giving it the name ‘Vittoriosa’. It contains many places of historic interest and it is charming to simply get lost in its narrow backstreets.
Bormla
Bormla was built on the hills leading to Birgu and surrounded with the same foritifications granted Birgu. This obviously made sense, otherwise a land attack would have put Birgu at great risk from the higher ground. The name ‘Bormla’ comes from ‘Bir Mula,’ which means ‘the well of the Lord’, indicating a fresh water supply that was no doubt precious to all the inhabitants of the area. Perhaps underestimated compared to its two sisters, Bormla actually offers a wonderful exploration of both architecture and character.
Isla
Isla apparently gets its name from ‘isola’ in Italian, meaning island, as it was such at the time before being joined to the mainland by a land bridge. Now a peninsula, it flanks the Birgu peninsula with Bormla in between. Also known as Senglea after Grand Master Claude de la Sengle completed its bastions, the city was a prosperous place and the home of nobility. Unfortunately, much of it was reduced to rubble during World War II due to the heavy bombardment of the naval dockyard located there; most of its inhabitants were evacuated, never to return. Today, the city may look different than it originally was, yet it retains its authentic flair and character.
BONUS: Kalkara
The home of Fort Ricasoli and Fort Rinella as well as the Malta Film Studios, Kalkara is often considered the fourth city in the Cottonera. Actually, it developed as a suburb of Cottonera well after the invasion of the Turks and Corsair attacks. Kalkara began as a small fishing community at the mouth of the inner harbour in the area around Kalkara Creek, yet it gets its name from the Latin word ‘Calce’ meaning ‘lime’, apparently after a Roman lime kiln that was present there. Kalkara's history may not be as rich as that of the Three Cities, but it is as charming as can be. Fort Ricasoli was built by the Knights to protect the entrance to the harbour and Fort Rinella was built by the British to host the 100-tonne gun still present there today.
Visit the Three Cities
Get there on the bus or cross the harbour from Valletta on a ferry. Alternatively, take a harbour cruise and visit all the nooks and crannies you could get to from the water. The walled cities themselves are very small, and you can walk around them all in a single day. Yet you'll never run short for what to see and do in the Three Cities.