VallettaExplored ✓New city. Who dis?
A siege ends. A capital begins. Meet Valletta’s origin story.
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100 stories to get into
VallettaExplored ✓VallettaExplored ✓The man with a city named after him
A siege, a Grand Master and a name you definitely recognise.
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ŻabbarExplored ✓One woman. Three history-making firsts.
MP. Minister. President. Meet Agatha Barbara.
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VallettaExplored ✓Small church. Huge backstory.
This quiet corner takes you back to Valletta’s very beginning.
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Xagħra, GozoExplored ✓Big stones. Even bigger questions.
Who built Ġgantija? And what can the stones actually tell us?
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QrendiExplored ✓Malta, before the cities.
Meet the communities who built with enormous blocks of limestone.
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VallettaExplored ✓If these walls could talk…
Armour, painted battles and centuries of power. Step inside.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗VallettaExplored ✓There’s another Valletta under your feet.
Water, grain and tunnels: the hidden systems that kept a city alive.
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VallettaExplored ✓Wait. There was an opera house here?
A grand theatre, wartime destruction and a surprising second act.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗VallettaExplored ✓Same street. Different names.
Strada Reale. Kingsway. Republic Street. Why did the name change?
1-minute rabbit hole ↗MaltaExplored ✓1964 ≠ 1974. Here’s why.
Independence and becoming a republic are two different milestones.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.NeolithicGħar Dalam, Birżebbuġa
Għar Dalam, BirżebbuġaExplored ✓Before the knights, there were farmers.
Start the story thousands of years before Valletta existed.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Phoenician eraTas-Silġ, Marsaxlokk
Tas-Silġ, MarsaxlokkExplored ✓Malta was connected before Wi-Fi.
A sanctuary tells a story of Mediterranean connections.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Roman periodRabat
RabatExplored ✓Roman Malta had serious floor goals.
A buried townhouse brings Roman daily life into focus.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Medieval eraMdina
MdinaExplored ✓Malta had a capital before Valletta.
Meet the hilltop city with a much longer backstory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1530Birgu
BirguExplored ✓The Knights arrive. Valletta doesn’t exist yet.
Their early headquarters overlooked the Grand Harbour.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1565Fort St Elmo, Valletta
Fort St Elmo, VallettaExplored ✓A small fort. A huge struggle.
The Great Siege begins before Valletta becomes a city.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1798Malta
MaltaExplored ✓Napoleon enters the chat.
A French fleet brings the Knights’ Maltese rule to an end.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1942Malta
MaltaExplored ✓The award that ended up on a flag.
Malta’s George Cross connects wartime experience with national memory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.2004Malta
MaltaExplored ✓A new chapter, with nine other countries.
1 May 2004: Malta joins the European Union.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1915–1919Ħal Tarxien
Ħal TarxienExplored ✓The detective with a trowel.
Themistocles Zammit helped uncover Malta’s prehistoric story.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1920sBorġ in-Nadur, Birżebbuġa
Borġ in-Nadur, BirżebbuġaExplored ✓A woman digging into Malta’s deep past.
Margaret Murray investigated a site with more than one life.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1960sSkorba, Mġarr
Skorba, MġarrExplored ✓No, the other Trump. The archaeologist.
David Trump helped fill gaps in Malta’s prehistoric timeline.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1613–1699Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓The artist who made you look up.
Mattia Preti turned a cathedral vault into a visual story.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1607–1608Valletta and Birgu
Valletta and BirguExplored ✓Genius, shadows… and a very messy exit.
Caravaggio’s Malta chapter was short, dramatic and influential.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1825Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Making room for Maltese in the classroom.
Vassalli helped give the Maltese language an academic home.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1922Malta
MaltaExplored ✓The poet behind the words you know.
Dun Karm Psaila wrote the words of L-Innu Malti.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1964Malta
MaltaExplored ✓Independence took negotiations, not a magic switch.
George Borg Olivier was Prime Minister when Malta became independent.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1970sMalta
MaltaExplored ✓A Prime Minister in a decade of big changes.
Dom Mintoff’s premiership overlapped with the republic and the end of the British military base.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1942Mosta
MostaExplored ✓The bomb that didn’t explode.
A wartime near-disaster became part of Mosta’s memory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1693–1705Mdina
MdinaExplored ✓An earthquake helped rewrite the skyline.
A damaged older cathedral gave way to a Baroque rebuilding.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1883Għarb, Gozo
Għarb, GozoExplored ✓A small chapel with an island-wide story.
Ta’ Pinu’s history connects personal testimony with pilgrimage.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1839–1844Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓One skyline. More than one church tradition.
St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral is an Anglican landmark.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1739Cittadella, Gozo
Cittadella, GozoExplored ✓Your eyes say dome. The ceiling disagrees.
An artist used perspective to create architectural make-believe.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.PrehistoryPaola
PaolaExplored ✓A prehistoric world beneath Paola.
The Hypogeum was carved down into limestone.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Neolithic / Bronze AgeĦal Tarxien
Ħal TarxienExplored ✓Ancient art had spirals. And pigs.
Carved animals and changing uses make Tarxien more than a pile of stones.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.NeolithicMġarr
MġarrExplored ✓Where did the temple builders go home?
Skorba gives us clues about houses as well as monuments.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.NeolithicMġarr
MġarrExplored ✓The huge doorway in a village setting.
Ta’ Ħaġrat packs prehistoric engineering into a compact site.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Neolithic / Bronze AgeBirżebbuġa
BirżebbuġaExplored ✓A site that changed its job.
Monumental remains and a fortified settlement share the same ridge.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Medieval–1979Birgu
BirguExplored ✓The fort that was also called a ship.
Fort St Angelo’s names reveal its changing roles.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1552Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Why build a fort shaped like a star?
St Elmo was built to control a very exposed position.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1610St Paul’s Bay
St Paul’s BayExplored ✓Coastal defence, with a view.
Wignacourt Tower helped watch Malta’s northern coast.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1732Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓A theatre older than your great-great-grandparents.
Teatru Manoel opened in January 1732.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1571Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Ancient objects. A much younger address.
The National Museum of Archaeology occupies an old knights’ auberge.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.16th century / 2018Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓From knights’ lodgings to an art rabbit hole.
MUŻA gives the Auberge d’Italie another chapter.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.From 1574Birgu
BirguExplored ✓A palace with a courtroom backstory.
One building combined official power and domestic life.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1949–1951Pietà
PietàExplored ✓Before she was Queen, she lived here.
Villa Guardamangia connects Malta with Princess Elizabeth’s early married life.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Early 20th centuryMalta
MaltaExplored ✓Overhead wires once powered the ride.
Electric trams were part of Malta’s transport mix.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.2017Dwejra, Gozo
Dwejra, GozoExplored ✓An icon can disappear in a morning.
The Azure Window’s collapse changed a familiar landscape.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.19th centuryValletta
VallettaExplored ✓A vanished auberge under a familiar skyline.
St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral occupies the former German auberge site.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1693Mdina
MdinaExplored ✓The cathedral before today’s cathedral.
Mdina’s older church did not disappear in one simple moment.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.From 1732Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓The street with a stage in its backstory.
Old Theatre Street leads you towards Teatru Manoel.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Across the centuriesValletta
VallettaExplored ✓A street name that leaves breadcrumbs.
Old Bakery Street remembers the Order’s bakery.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1950sValletta
VallettaExplored ✓A narrow street with a big soundtrack.
Strait Street belongs in Malta’s music history too.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.From 1592Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓There’s a university chapter on this street.
Merchants Street is one entrance to a much older learning story.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Across the centuriesValletta
VallettaExplored ✓One street, several political labels.
Melita Street has carried very different names.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Across the centuriesValletta
VallettaExplored ✓Coins left a clue on the map.
Old Mint Street appears under different languages on historic maps.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1860Malta
MaltaExplored ✓A tiny square with a huge backstory.
Malta’s first postage stamp appeared in 1860.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1947Malta
MaltaExplored ✓The electorate gets a much-needed upgrade.
Women gained the right to vote in Malta in 1947.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1769Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Higher education gets a new chapter.
The University of Malta was founded in 1769.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1825Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Your everyday language gets a classroom.
Vassalli opened the University’s first School of Maltese.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1922Malta
MaltaExplored ✓Before it became familiar, someone heard it first.
L-Innu Malti’s first public performance was in December 1922.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.2017Malta
MaltaExplored ✓A small country takes the chair.
Malta held its first Council of the EU presidency in 2017.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Ice AgeGħar Dalam, Birżebbuġa
Għar Dalam, BirżebbuġaExplored ✓Wait. Malta had elephants?
Fossil bones reveal an island world that has vanished.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1919Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓The price of bread became a political crisis.
Sette Giugno links everyday hardship with the struggle for self-government.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Roman eraRabat
RabatExplored ✓A whole underground neighbourhood… for burials.
Passages, tombs and carved tables reveal how people remembered the dead.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Across the centuriesVictoria, Gozo
Victoria, GozoExplored ✓The skyline was a safety plan.
Gozo’s Citadel was built for much more than a good view.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Across the centuriesXwejni, Gozo
Xwejni, GozoExplored ✓Sea + sun + skill = salt.
Those coastal squares are a working landscape with a long memory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.16th–20th centuriesCittadella, Gozo
Cittadella, GozoExplored ✓These walls have a comment section.
Ships, names and handprints preserve traces of people behind bars.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1943Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓The command centre was under your feet.
Below the gardens, information helped shape wartime decisions.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1844Birgu
BirguExplored ✓A fleet runs on bread, too.
The Maritime Museum’s building once helped feed the Royal Navy.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1610–1615Rabat to Valletta
Rabat to VallettaExplored ✓The city needed water. Gravity delivered.
A water system connected springs, towers and a growing capital.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1623Attard
AttardExplored ✓Even a garden has an origin story.
Paths and fountains can preserve history just as walls do.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1647–1649Mellieħa
MellieħaExplored ✓Red landmark. Serious lookout job.
St Agatha’s Tower watched a strategically important stretch of coast.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1676Floriana
FlorianaExplored ✓The painter designed the building, too.
Sarria links Mattia Preti’s architecture with his art.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.16th centuryValletta
VallettaExplored ✓Meet one of Valletta’s building brains.
Girolamo Cassar helped turn plans into a city’s landmarks.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1947–2020Floriana
FlorianaExplored ✓Small island. Stories that travelled.
Oliver Friggieri helped Maltese literature reach readers beyond Malta.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1879–1947Ħaż-Żebbuġ and Rome
Ħaż-Żebbuġ and RomeExplored ✓How do you make bronze look alive?
Antonio Sciortino gave sculpture a powerful sense of movement.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1924–1937Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓Who decides what a museum collects?
Meet a curator who helped build Malta’s drawings collection.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1791Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓The theatre boss had a dramatic chapter.
Nicolò Isouard’s music career crossed a change of government.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1634Floriana
FlorianaExplored ✓The town name remembers an engineer.
Floriana’s name leads back to a plan for defending Valletta.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1887Victoria, Gozo
Victoria, GozoExplored ✓One city. Two familiar names.
Rabat and Victoria point to different layers of the same place.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.16th centurySenglea
SengleaExplored ✓An island name for a peninsula?
L-Isla and Senglea each preserve a different part of the city’s identity.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1962Gwardamanġa
GwardamanġaExplored ✓Before streaming, the whole island tuned in.
Malta Television Service began broadcasting on 29 September 1962.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1922University of Malta
University of MaltaExplored ✓A graduation that opened a door.
Tessie Camilleri became the University of Malta’s first female graduate.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1958Luqa
LuqaExplored ✓The terminal grew. The travel habits changed.
A new civil air terminal marked a changing role for Malta’s airport.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1942Birgu
BirguExplored ✓The square used to have a much taller landmark.
Old photographs preserve the clock tower that wartime bombing took away.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1942Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓A vanished chapel in the hospital’s story.
Wartime destruction affected a whole medical neighbourhood.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1586Buskett
BuskettExplored ✓Castle energy. Countryside retreat.
Verdala’s towers hide a story of comfort as well as power.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1574Valletta
VallettaExplored ✓A hospital became a conference centre.
The Sacra Infermeria kept finding new ways to bring people together.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.15th centuryGudja
GudjaExplored ✓Small chapel. Fragile medieval clues.
Bir Miftuħ’s wall paintings reveal why conservation needs careful science.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Medieval periodMellieħa
MellieħaExplored ✓A famous tradition meets a careful question.
The sanctuary’s painted image has a long history of devotion.
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