This quaint Valletta bar is out on a mission to identify the people in this photo
Malta's majestic capital city, Valletta, is one of the most wondrous places to walk through on the island yet its true core cannot be found in its commercialized main roads. Rather, accidentally (and very pleasantly) stumbled upon during long aimless strolls in Valletta's side streets.
Lined with quaint (but ever more extinct) establishments and houses built in the traditional architectural style, one such bar is called Vino's Cafe Bar. Previously known as l-Ingliz Tea Room, a.k.a. Tea Room of the British, what is perhaps more alluring than the retro decor and gracious owner, is the glass displays on each side of the entrance.
A quick peak through the display and your eye immediately falls on a delicate black and white photograph of a couple's wedding day. The natural assumption would be that the photo captures a much beloved ancestor, but a handwritten note attached to the photo paints a wider picture: "Do you know anyone in this picture? If so, please let the barman know," it reads.
A quick enquiry at the bar reveals even more of the story's backdrop: "A friend of mine found it in a nearby house and brought it here to find out more about it." The owner, Albert, a self-confessed lover of local history, was unfortunately unable to help identify the couple. Neither could he find it in his heart to throw it away: "It's such a sentimental photo. I couldn't dispose of it...my conscience wouldn't let me," he said pensively.
Albert takes out the frame and flips it around; on the back is an inscription with a date reading "11th December 1943." The photo marks a wartime wedding, and perhaps more interestingly, shot in Egypt. It is not known if the four people in the photo - the couple in the centre and the flowergirls on either side - are Maltese, yet it being located in an old derelict Valletta home points to at least one of them being a local, or related to one at least.
Patiently waiting out its days in a display at Vino's, Albert insists the photo will remain there until a claimant comes forward: "I hope to be able to pass it on to one of their family members," he says.
If you're strolling through Valletta wondering which bar to drown your sorrows at, do give Vino's a try and listen to the owner recount this story in person. What's more, you won't even have to go to a guided tour to find out the little details that make Valletta the city it is. Just ask Albert anything about it, sit back and absorb the history.