Pietà’s stunning Villa Frere will be opening its doors to visitors this Sunday 6th November between 9:30am and 5pm.
Villa Frere was built by British diplomat, poet, scholar, and philanthropist John Hookham Frere after the unfortunate death of his wife in 1831.
He hoped that such a beautiful house, filled with views spanning from Mdina to Valletta, would give him comfort in such a difficult time.
The villa also allowed him to look over the Msida Bastion Cemetery, where his dear wife was buried.
Apart from being a slice of John Hookman Frere’s heaven, the villa became a sanctuary for numerous academics, most famously Mikiel Anton Vassalli. In the villa’s gardens, the two discussed how to establish Maltese as a written and taught language.
This romantic story and Villa Frere’s garden faded away with Frere’s death in 1846. The site fell into neglect, but not all was lost as 40 years later the villa became the residence of Captain Edward Price.
A notable garden enthusiast, he gave life back to the property, earning it the title of a botanic garden. The place thus became a prominent attraction to locals and foreigners alike.
Today, just over a third of the original area survives (including the house).
The NGO Friends of Villa Frere has been working hard to protect what remains of the property and to bring the gardens back to life.
Adult visitors are kindly asked to pay a €5 donation upon entering the villa. The money collected will all go into restoring the gardens back to their former glory. Children enter for free.
Villa Frere can be accessed through Saint Luke’s hospital in Pietà and parking is available within the hospital’s grounds.
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