Time warp! A vintage photograph from 1953 shows Floriana before the Tritons’ Fountain
The Tritons’ fountain in Floriana is one of the most photographed placed in Malta and makes for a very prominent figure as one is entering Valletta. So it’s hard to imagine a time, just over 70 years ago, when it didn’t exist yet.
Sans Triton Fountain. According to historical data, the population of Malta in 1953 was approximately 319,000.
Posted by Charlotte Pace on Tuesday 18 June 2024
This photo shows just that period of time, in 1953, when the area currently holding the fountain was just a roundabout for buses to drive past. During that period the bus terminus in Valletta surrounded that roundabout, a setup that changed in 2015 when the space around the fountain was made pedestrian.
The fountain itself was constructed between 1952 and 1959 by sculptor Chevalier Vincent Apap and his collaborator draughtsman Victor Anastasi. It consists of three Tritons carved out of bronze holding up a large basin, held up on a base built out of concrete and covered in 730 tons of travertine slabs.
The basin in particular is infamous for the dramatic collapse that happened due to a dance celebration that was taking place on the statue itself, as part of national celebrations taking place on the 1st of March in 1978.
Luckily, the fountain has been repaired and restored since then, allowing visitors to enjoy it in all its glory.
Can you imagine walking through a Floriana without the famous fountain?