Valletta: A Systematic Literature Review

On visiting the city of Valletta then, British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli described Valletta as 'a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen' (Cardona, 2015).His prescient description of Valletta has been able to withstand the scrutiny of time, both because it is factually correct; there are indeed many palaces in Valletta.However more importantly, because both the beginnings of Valletta, and as this paper will in more recent instances argue, Valletta is a city built for gentlemen, therefore constructed from its inception but more recently maintained and regenerated in ways that privilege the needs and visions of some stakeholders while ignoring the needs and vision of others.The city of Valletta was built using the financial support received from European nobility following the Great Siege of 1565.The imprint of the various powers du jour can be noticed within Valletta, with the main stylistic and design input being given by the Knights of St. John but also with some stylistic flourishes from British colonial rule (Smith &Ebejer, 2012).The knights were divided into langues according to their nationality, and each had their own auberge, connecting Valletta's heritage to a broader European history (Smith &Ebejer, 2012).Since its inception, Valletta has had dual functions over the centuries namely that as a capital city and a port city.Over time the evolution of this dual role was seen when the administrative functions, that are the product of a capital city, saw the auberges becoming the sites of ministerial offices, and the port which was Malta's primary point of contact with the outside world becoming a host for over half a million tourists who reached Valletta's shores by cruise every year (Smith &Ebejer, 2012).Geographically Valletta is a peninsula city that occupies a small, constricted site, surrounded by fortifications and the sea.Valletta covers a total area of 0.8 km 2 and is physically constrained by walls and the sea on three sides, creating issues of overcrowding, access to traffic and over tourism (Attard& Enoch, 2011, Ebejeret., 2020).Throughout the 70s lack of investment, restrictive rent laws in Valletta resulted in waves of outmigration.Since the last census, the population of Valletta stands at 6,309 persons (or 1.1% of Malta's total population) (NSO 2016).Dilapidation and grandeur co-exist side by side in Valletta with palaces frequently neighbouring abandoned and decrepit buildings (Markwick, 2018a, Ebejeret., 2019).Traditionally few hotels existed within the city, however the recent run-up and hosting of the European City of Culture (ECoC) in 2018 has led to the development of numerous boutique hotels and brought about the development of many Airbnb accommodations (Ebejer, 2020a).Valletta's physical form reflects a number of contrasts, between inwardand outward-looking, nostalgia, and looking towards the future on both a national and local level, as well as bearing the marks of an international and European city yet being uniquely a Maltese national symbol.The main gate on the landward side (City Gate) leads to the 'mainland', whereas Victoria Gate faces the Grand Harbour and is just a few metres away from the shoreline.(Smith &Ebejer, 2012).Valletta is a recognized World Heritage Site (Ebejer, 2013).When dealing with cities, it is useful to identify what aspects make up the city.Paul SantCassia (1999) suggests the following three aspects which one can consider when perceiving the city:• As a symbolic site by being the centre of geography in space and time.• As an architectural-photographic representation with its baroque style and its connection to European roots.• As an 'experience' where the visitor experiences a series of encounters through the city's intimate spaces, and by walking through its interpretive layout.