Editing Valletta

{{Short description|Capital of Malta}}
{{about|the Maltese capital|other uses|Valletta (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Valletta
| native_name        = {{nativename|mt|Il-Belt Valletta}}
| native_name_lang   = Maltese
| official_name      = 
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]] and [[Local councils of Malta|local council]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 280
| image_style              = border:1;
| perrow                   = 1/2/2
 | image1 = St Sebastian Curtain (cropped).jpg
 | caption1 = Valletta skyline
 | image2 = Malta 270915 Valletta 06.jpg
 | caption2 = [[Saluting Battery (Valletta)|Saluting Battery]]
 | image3 = Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lvant - Lower Barrakka Gardens - Alexander Ball 02 ies.jpg
 | caption3 = [[Lower Barrakka Gardens]]
 | image4 = St. John's Co-Cathedral - Interior.jpg
 | caption4 = [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]]
 | image5 = Malta - Valletta - St. Michael's Bastion (Manoel Island) 01 ies.jpg
 | caption5 = [[Fortifications of Valletta]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Valletta, Malta.svg
| image_shield       = Insigne Valettae coronatum.svg
| etymology          = 
| nickname           = Il-Belt
| motto              = City Built By Gentlemen For Gentlemen
| pushpin_map        = Malta#Europe
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_label_position = top
| map_caption        = Map of the Maltese [[Archipelago]] with Valletta
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|53|54|N|14|30|45|E|type:city_region:MT|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="badger">{{cite book|last=Badger|first=George Percy|date=1869|title=Historical Guide to Malta and Gozo|url=https://archive.org/details/historicalguide00badggoog|quote=Castellania building.|publisher=Calleja|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historicalguide00badggoog/page/n169 152]}}</ref>
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Malta]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Malta|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Port Region, Malta|Port Region]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Malta|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Southern Harbour District]]
| established_date   = 28 March 1566
| established_title2 = Capital city
| established_date2  = 18 March 1571
| founder            = [[Jean Parisot de Valette|Jean de Parisot Valette]]
| parts_type         = Borders
| parts_style        = para
| p1                 = [[Floriana]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of places in Malta|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Olaf McKay
| leader_party       = [[Labour Party (Malta)|PL]]
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 0.61
| area_urban_km2     = 256
| area_note          = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m        = 56
| elevation_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 5,157
| population_as_of   = Jan. 2019
| population_footnotes = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 480134<ref name="Eurostat">{{cite web|title=Population on 1 January by age groups and sex – functional urban areas|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en|website=[[Eurostat]]|access-date=5 March 2022|date=2020}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| population_demonym = Belti (m), Beltija (f), Beltin (pl)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Malta|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = VLT
| area_code_type     = [[List of country calling codes|Dialing code]]
| area_code          = 356
| iso_code           = MT-60
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Religion in Malta#Patron Saints|Patron saints]]
| blank_info_sec1    = [[Saint Dominic|St. Dominic]]<br />[[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]]<br />[[Paul the Apostle|St. Paul]]<br />[[Augustine of Hippo|St. Augustine]]
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[Public holidays in Malta#Traditional Feasts|Day of festa]]
| blank1_info_sec1   = 3 August<br />10 February
| website            = {{official website|http://www.cityofvalletta.org/}}
| module             = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
|official_name=City of Valletta
  |child = yes
  |ID = 131
  |Year = 1980
  |Criteria = Cultural: i, vi
  |Area = 55.5 ha
  }}
}}
'''Valletta''' ({{IPAc-en|v|ə|ˈ|l|ɛ|t|ə|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Valletta.wav}} {{respell|və|LET|ə}}; {{langx|mt|il-Belt Valletta}}, {{IPA|mt|ɪlˈbɛlt vɐˈlːɛtːɐ|pron}}) is the [[capital city]] of [[Malta]] and one of its 68 [[Local councils of Malta|council areas]]. Located between the [[Grand Harbour]] to the east and [[Marsamxett Harbour]] to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157.<ref>{{cite web|title=Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014|url=https://secure2.gov.mt/localgovernment/file.aspx?f=7810|publisher=[[Government of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621211549/https://secure2.gov.mt/localgovernment/file.aspx?f=7810|archive-date=21 June 2015|date=16 May 2014|access-date=21 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of [[Europe]],<ref>[[List of national capitals by latitude|Valletta, Malta – Intercultural City]] – [[Council of Europe]]</ref>{{NoteTag|[[Nicosia]] in Cyprus is further south than Valletta, however Cyprus is geographically part of Asia, although occasionally considered a European country in political and cultural geography. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Cyprus in [[Western Asia]].|name="Cyprus"}} and at just {{Convert|0.61|km2|sqmi|abbr=}}, it is the [[European Union]]'s smallest capital city.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 10 Smallest Countries in Europe|language=en|website=World Atlas| date=31 May 2018 |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-10-smallest-countries-in-europe.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitmalta.com/en/valletta-history|title=History of Valletta – Story About Valletta – Interesting Facts|website=www.visitmalta.com|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref>

Valletta's 16th-century buildings were constructed by the [[Hospitaller Malta|Knights Hospitaller]]. The city was named after the Frenchman [[Jean Parisot de Valette]], who succeeded in defending the island against an Ottoman invasion during the [[Great Siege of Malta]]. The city is [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] in character, with elements of [[Mannerist architecture#Mannerist architecture|Mannerist]], [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-Classical]] and [[Modern architecture]], though the [[Second World War]] left major scars on the city, particularly the destruction of the [[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]]. The city was officially recognised as a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1980.<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|title=City of Valletta|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/131|website=UNESCO World Heritage List|access-date=18 July 2015}}</ref> The city has 320 monuments, all within an area of 0.55 square kilometres (0.21 sq mi), making it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.<ref name=unesco/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Valletta travel |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/malta/valletta |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}</ref> Sometimes called an "open-air museum",<ref>[https://www.maltauncovered.com/valletta-capital-city/ Valletta (Malta) – The Complete Overview of Malta's Capital City] – maltauncovered.com</ref> Valletta was chosen as the [[European Capital of Culture]] for 2018. Valletta was also listed as the sunniest city in Europe in 2016.<ref>[http://bay.com.mt/grab-your-shades-valletta-is-crowned-the-sunniest-city-in-europe/ Valletta is crowned the sunniest city in Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305203154/https://bay.com.mt/grab-your-shades-valletta-is-crowned-the-sunniest-city-in-europe/ |date=5 March 2022 }} – bay.com.mt, 2016</ref><ref>[https://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/Europe/sunniest-cities.php Sunniest Cities in Europe] – currentresults.com, 2016</ref>

The city is noted for [[Fortifications of Valletta|its fortifications]], consisting of [[bastion]]s, [[Curtain wall (fortification)|curtains]] and [[Cavalier (fortification)|cavaliers]], along with the beauty of its [[Baroque]] palaces, gardens and churches.

==History==
{{see also|Mount Sciberras|Sciberras Peninsula}}
[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Merkanti 12 ies.jpg|thumb|left|Former mural at ''[[Is-Suq tal-Belt]]'' illustrating the city's construction]]
The peninsula was previously called ''Xagħret Mewwija'' (Mu' awiya – Meuia; named during the Arab period<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thinksite.eu/userfiles/Glossary+of+placenames+related+to+Islam+Christianity+and+Ethnicity.pdf|title=thinksite.eu|website=Thinksite.eu|access-date=8 August 2017|archive-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211446/http://www.thinksite.eu/userfiles/Glossary+of+placenames+related+to+Islam+Christianity+and+Ethnicity.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-01-06/newspaper-lifestyleculture/%E2%80%98Xaghret-Mewwija:-L-Istorja-tal-Belt-%E2%80%A6-Milwija%E2%80%99-aka-Dragut%E2%80%99s-revenge-637304835|title='Xagħret Mewwija: L-Istorja tal-Belt … Milwija' aka Dragut's revenge – The Malta Independent|website=www.independent.com.mt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2009-03-15/news/the-secrets-of-underground-valletta-221865/|title=The Secrets of underground Valletta – The Malta Independent|website=Independent.com.mt}}</ref> or Ħal Newwija.<ref>[http://www.thinksite.eu/userfiles/Glossary%20of%20placenames%20related%20to%20Islam%20Christianity%20and%20Ethnicity.pdf p. 21, footnote 163] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117201321/http://www.thinksite.eu/userfiles/Glossary%20of%20placenames%20related%20to%20Islam%20Christianity%20and%20Ethnicity.pdf |date=17 January 2016 }}.</ref> Mewwija refers to a sheltered place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Archivum%20Melitense/AM.01(1910-1912)/6%20AM.%201(1911-1912)11-12/04.pdf|title=p. 231}}</ref> Some authors state that the extreme end of the peninsula was known as Xebb ir-Ras (Sheb point), of which name origins from the lighthouse on site.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UsK_BAAAQBAJ&q=Mewwija+Valletta&pg=PT150|title=Malta: A Traveller's Anthology|first=Deborah|last=Manley|date=10 February 2012|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781908493590|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="BRILL">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r7p2l48O2KoC&q=mewwija+sheb+er+ras&pg=PA215|title=Foundation, Dedication and Consecration in Early Modern Europe|first1=M.|last1=Delbeke|first2=M.|last2=Schraven|date=9 December 2011|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004217577|via=Google Books}}</ref> A family which surely owned land became known as ''Sceberras'', now a Maltese surname as Sciberras.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=wbFQAAAAYAAJ&q=Valletta+Sceberras de Piro].</ref> At one point the entire peninsula became known as Sceberras.
{{Quote box |width=22em |align=left   |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=100% |quote={{flagicon|Knights Hospitaller}} [[Hospitaller Malta]] 1566–1798<br />
{{flagicon|France|1830}} [[French occupation of Malta|French Republic]] 1798–1800<br />
{{flagicon|UK}} [[Malta Protectorate|Protectorate of Malta]] 1800–1813<br />
{{flagicon|Malta|1943}} [[Crown Colony of Malta]] 1813–1964<br />
{{flagicon|Malta}} [[State of Malta]] 1964–1974<br />
{{flagicon|Malta}} [[Malta|Republic of Malta]] 1974–present
}}
Recent scholarly studies have however shown that the Xeberras phrase is of Punic origin and means 'the headland' and 'the middle peninsula' as it actually is.<ref name="Article">{{cite web |last1=Vella |first1=John |title=Thalassic imaginaries : witnesses to (an) unwritten history |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/80897 |url-access=limited |via=L-Università ta' Malta |website=European Review of History |publisher=Taylor & Francis |access-date=2 May 2022 |ref=Journal article}}</ref>

===Order of Saint John===
[[File:DetalleSiegeMalta.jpg|thumb|left|The Ottoman army bombs the Knights' Three Cities from the peninsula of Sciberras during the 1565 [[Great Siege of Malta|Great Siege]].]]
[[File:Malte, La Valette, co-cathédrale St Jean.jpg|thumb|The nave of [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]]|left]]
[[File:Grandmaster's palace, Valletta.jpg|thumb|[[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]]|left]]
[[File:GrandHarbourValletta1801.jpg|thumb|Valletta and the [[Grand Harbour]] {{Circa|1801}}]]

The building of a city on the Sciberras Peninsula had been proposed by the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] as early as 1524.<ref name=about>{{cite web|last1=Attard|first1=Sonia|title=The Valletta Fortifications|url=http://www.aboutmalta.com/history/vallettafort.shtml|website=aboutmalta.com|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref> Back then, the only building on the peninsula was a small watchtower<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Scientia|last=Leopardi|first=E. R.|date=1949|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)2(Apr.-Jun.)/01.pdf|title=The First Printed Description of Malta : Lyons 1536|volume=15|issue=2|pages=56, 58}}</ref> dedicated to [[Erasmus of Formia]] (Saint Elmo), which had been built in 1488.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/30600/1/Triton%20Square%20and%20Bisjuttin%20Area-Embelishment%20projects.pdf |title=Triton Square and Bisjuttin Area-Embelishment projects |publisher=Ministry for Tourism |date=January 2018 }}</ref>

In 1552, the [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese]] watchtower was demolished and the larger [[Fort Saint Elmo]] was built in its place.<ref name="cityhistory">{{cite web|title=History of Valletta|url=http://www.cityofvalletta.org/content.aspx?id=46634|website=City of Valletta|access-date=19 September 2014}}</ref>

In the [[Great Siege of Malta|Great Siege]] of 1565, Fort Saint Elmo fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], but the Order eventually won the siege with the help of Sicilian reinforcements. The victorious Grand Master, [[Jean Parisot de Valette|Jean de Valette]], immediately set out to build a new fortified city on the Sciberras Peninsula to fortify the Order's position in Malta and bind the Knights to the island. The city took his name and was called ''La Valletta''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Blouet|first=Brian W.|title=Town Planning in Malta, 1530–1798|journal=Town Planning Review|volume=35|issue=3|date=October 1964|page=183|publisher=[[Liverpool University Press]]|doi=10.3828/tpr.35.3.383v818680j843v8}}</ref>

The Grand Master asked the European kings and princes for help, receiving a lot of assistance due to the increased fame of the Order after their victory in the Great Siege. [[Pope Pius V]] sent his military architect, [[Francesco Laparelli]], to design the new city, while [[Philip II of Spain]] sent substantial monetary aid. The [[Cornerstone|foundation stone]] of the city was laid by Grand Master de Valette on 28 March 1566. He placed the first stone in what later became [[Our Lady of Victories Church, Valletta|Our Lady of Victories Church]].<ref name="journal">{{cite book|url=http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/books/b9789004222083_010|chapter=Building a Sense of Belonging. The Foundation of Valletta in Malta|first=Carmelina|last=Gugliuzzo|title=Foundation, Dedication and Consecration in Early Modern Europe|date=9 December 2011|pages=209–224|publisher=Booksandjournals.brillonline.com|doi=10.1163/9789004222083_010|isbn=9789004222083}}</ref>

In his book ''Dell'Istoria della Sacra Religione et Illustrissima Militia di San Giovanni Gierosolimitano'' ({{langx|en|The History of the Sacred Religion and Illustrious Militia of St John of Jerusalem}}), written between 1594 and 1602, [[Giacomo Bosio]] writes that when the cornerstone of Valletta was placed, a group of [[Maltese people|Maltese]] elders said: "''Iegi zimen en fel wardia col sceber raba iesue uquie''" (Which in modern Maltese reads, "''Jiġi żmien li fil-Wardija [l-Għolja Sciberras] kull xiber raba' jiswa uqija''", and in English, "There will come a time when every piece of land on Sciberras Hill will be worth its weight in gold").<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cassar|first1=Mario|title=L-Istorja tal-Ilsien Malti|url=http://www.akkademjatalmalti.com/page.asp?p=9023#1600|website=L-Akkademja tal-Malti|access-date=19 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923054701/http://www.akkademjatalmalti.com/page.asp?p=9023#1600|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=usurped|language=mt}}</ref>

De Valette died from a stroke on 21 August 1568 at age 74 and never saw the completion of his city. Originally interred in the church of Our Lady of the Victories, his remains now rest in [[St. John's Co-Cathedral]] among the tombs of other Grand Masters of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]].<ref name="journal"/>

[[Francesco Laparelli]] was the city's principal designer and his plan departed from medieval Maltese architecture, which exhibited irregular winding streets and alleys. He designed the new city on a rectangular [[grid plan]], and without any ''collacchio'' (an area restricted for important buildings). The streets were designed to be wide and straight, beginning centrally from the [[City Gate (Valletta)|City Gate]] and ending at Fort Saint Elmo (which was rebuilt) overlooking the Mediterranean; certain bastions were built {{convert|47|m|ft|}} high. His assistant was the Maltese architect [[Girolamo Cassar]], who later oversaw the construction of the city himself after Laparelli's death in 1570.<ref name="journal"/>

The ''[[Ufficio delle Case]]'' regulated the building of the city as a [[planning authority]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Graff|first=Philippe|title=La Valette: une ville nouvelle du XVIe siècle et son évolution jusqu'à nos jours|url=http://www.persee.fr/doc/remmm_0997-1327_1994_num_71_1_1641|language=fr|publisher=[[Publications de l'Université de Provence]]|journal=Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditerranée: Le carrefour maltais|date=1994|volume=71|issue=1|page=157|doi=10.3406/remmm.1994.1641|issn=2105-2271}}</ref>

The city of Valletta was mostly completed by the early 1570s, and it became the capital on 18 March 1571 when Grand Master [[Pierre de Monte]] moved from his seat at [[Fort St Angelo]] in [[Birgu]] to the [[Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta]].

[[File:Joseph Mallord William Turner - Malta.jpg|thumb|[[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]]'s depiction of the [[Grand Harbour]], [[National Museum of Fine Arts (Malta)|National Museum of Fine Arts]]]]

Seven Auberges were built for the [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)|Order's Langues]], and these were complete by the 1580s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rudolf|first1=Uwe Jens|last2=Berg|first2=Warren G.|date=2010|title=Historical Dictionary of Malta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwuUOVkaMB0C&pg=PA33|publisher=Scarecrow Press|page=33|isbn=9780810873902}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Scientia|last=Cassar|first=Paul|date=1946|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2012(1946)2(Apr.-Jun.)/02.pdf|title=The Hospital of the Order of St. John in Malta|volume=12|issue=2|pages=57–59}}</ref> An eighth Auberge, [[Auberge de Bavière]], was later added in the 18th century.<ref name="melitensiawth-phw">{{cite journal |last1=Ellul |first1=Michael |title=Carlo Gimach (1651–1730) – Architect and Poet |journal=Proceedings of History Week |date=1986 |pages=20–22 |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Proceedings%20of%20History%20Week/PHW%201986/02s.pdf |publisher=Historical Society of Malta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302135025/http://www.melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03(1960-63)/MH.3(1963)4/orig02.pdf |archive-date=2 March 2016 |url-status=live  |access-date=4 January 2016 }}</ref>

In [[Antoine de Paule]]'s reign, it was decided to build more fortifications to protect Valletta, and these were named the [[Floriana Lines]] after the architect who designed them, [[Pietro Paolo Floriani]] of [[Macerata]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Floriana's Pavilion from the Knights to the British|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140504/life-features/Floriana-s-Pavilion-from-the-Knights-to-the-British.517786|access-date=18 April 2015|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=4 May 2014}}</ref> During [[António Manoel de Vilhena]]'s reign, a town began to form between the walls of Valletta and the Floriana Lines, and this evolved from a suburb of Valletta to [[Floriana]], a town in its own right.<ref name="armstrong">{{cite book|last1=Armstrong|first1=Gary|last2=Mitchell|first2=Jon P.|title=Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zliK30npLlsC&q=false&pg=PA44|publisher=Routledge|date=2008|page=44|isbn=9781134269198}}</ref>

In 1634, a [[1634 Valletta explosion|gunpowder factory explosion]] killed 22 people in Valletta.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|author-link1=Stephen C. Spiteri|title=Hospitaller Gunpowder Magazines|journal=Arx – International Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification|date=2012|volume=Occasional Papers|issue=2|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Journals/arx-occasional-papers-hospitaller-gunpowder-magazines.html|page=6}}</ref> In 1749, Muslim slaves [[Conspiracy of the Slaves|plotted]] to kill Grandmaster [[Manuel Pinto da Fonseca|Pinto]] and take over Valletta, but the revolt was suppressed before it even started due to their plans leaking out to the Order.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Eltis|first1=David|last2=Bradley|first2=Keith|last3=Cartledge|first3=Paul|title=The Cambridge World History of Slavery: Volume 3: AD 1420-AD 1804|date=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521840682|page=144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qp_3aL76isC&pg=PA144}}</ref> Later on in his reign, Pinto embellished the city with [[Baroque architecture]], and many important buildings such as [[Auberge de Castille]] were remodeled or completely rebuilt in the new architectural style.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mifsud Bonnici|first=Carmelo|journal=Malta Letteraria|title=Fr. Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Malta%20Letteraria/ML.n.s.,%2011(1936)/11.pdf|page=230|volume=11|issue=8|date=August 1936}}</ref>

In 1775, during the reign of [[Francisco Ximenes de Texada|Ximenes]], an unsuccessful revolt known as the [[Rising of the Priests]] occurred in which Fort Saint Elmo and [[Saint James Cavalier]] were captured by rebels, but the revolt was eventually suppressed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Borg Muscat|first1=David|title=Reassessing the September 1775 Rebellion: a Case of Lay Participation or a 'Rising of the Priests'?|url=http://mhs.eu.pn/mh3/20022.html|website=Malta Historical Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421164525/http://mhs.eu.pn/mh3/20022.html|archive-date=21 April 2014|date=2005}}</ref>

===French occupation and British rule===
[[File:Malta GC. Valletta-1967 (8240967236).jpg|thumb|Early morning in 1967 on the notorious Strait Street known to generations of British Servicemen (especially to sailors on shore leave) as "The Gut". Bars and bordellos abounded, and brawls were common, but its popularity never waned.]]

In 1798, the [[French occupation of Malta|French invaded the island]] and expelled the Order.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Ekistics|last=Zammit|first=Andre|date=1986|title=Valletta and the system of human settlements in the Maltese Islands|volume=53|issue=316/317|publisher=Athens Center of Ekistics|pages=89–95|jstor=43620704}}</ref> After the Maltese rebelled, French troops continued to occupy Valletta and the surrounding harbour area, until they capitulated to the British in September 1800. In the early 19th century, the British Civil Commissioner, [[Henry Pigot]], agreed to demolish the majority of the city's fortifications.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bonello|first1=Giovanni|title=Let's hide the majestic bastions|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121118/life-features/Let-s-hide-the-majestic-bastions.445894|access-date=14 October 2014|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=18 November 2012}}</ref> The demolition was again proposed in the 1870s and 1880s, but it was never carried out and the fortifications have survived largely intact.<ref name=about/>

Eventually building projects in Valletta resumed under British rule. These projects included widening gates, demolishing and rebuilding structures, widening newer houses over the years, and installing civic projects. The [[Malta Railway]], which linked Valletta to [[Mdina]], was officially opened in 1883.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cole |first=Beverly |title=Trains |publisher=H.F.Ullmann |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-8480-0516-1 |location=Potsdam, Germany |page=64 }}</ref> It was closed down in 1931 after [[Malta bus|buses]] became a popular means of transport.

In 1939, Valletta was abandoned as the headquarters of the [[Mediterranean Fleet|Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet]] due to its proximity to Italy and the city became a flash point during the subsequent two-year long [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|Siege of Malta]].<ref name="Jacobs2016">{{cite book|author=Peter Jacobs|title=Fortress Islands Malta: Defence & Re-Supply During the Siege|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DV6qCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT10|date=31 January 2016|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-4738-8255-3|pages=10–}}</ref> [[Nazi Germany|German]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italian]] air raids throughout the [[Second World War]] caused much destruction in Valletta and the rest of the harbor area. The [[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]], constructed at the city entrance in the 19th century, was one of the buildings lost to the raids.<ref name="cityhistory"/>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:-The Harbor at Valletta, Malta- MET DP115643 (cropped).jpg|Valletta harbour {{circa|1850}}, photo by [[Calvert Jones]]
File:Goats_at_Port_Real_Wellcome_L0045092_(cropped).jpg|[[City Gate (Valletta)|King's Gate]] {{circa}} 1884–1905
<!--File:-Strada Levante, Valletta, Malta- MET DP115250.jpg|Valletta's ''Strada Levante'' around 1850, photo by [[Calvert Jones]]-->
File:Teatru_Rjal,_Malta_1911.jpg|[[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]] in 1911
File:Bomb Damage in Valletta, Malta, 1 May 1942. A8701.jpg|Bomb damage in Valletta during the [[Second World War]]
</gallery>

===Contemporary===
In 1980, the [[24th Chess Olympiad]] took place in Valletta.<ref>{{cite web|title=24th Chess Olympiad|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/1980/1980in.html|publisher=OlimpBase|access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref>

The entire city of Valletta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, along with [[Megalithic Temples of Malta]] and the [[Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni]].<ref name=unesco/><ref name="olivergatt"/> On 11 November 2015, Valletta hosted the [[Valletta Summit on Migration]] in which European and African leaders discussed the [[European migrant crisis]].<ref name=statewatch>{{cite web|title=Valletta Conference on Migration (Malta, 11–12 November 2015) – Orientation debate|url=http://www.statewatch.org/news/2015/jul/eu-council-november-015-migration-valletta-conference-orientation-debate-10387-15.pdf|website=statewatch.org|publisher=Council of the European Union|access-date=12 November 2015|date=30 June 2015}}</ref> After that, on 27 November 2015, the city also hosted part of the [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2015]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Queen to greet line-up of despots at meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Malta|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/12018566/Queen-to-greet-line-up-of-despots-at-meeting-of-Commonwealth-leaders-in-Malta.html|access-date=29 November 2015|work=Daily Telegraph|date=26 November 2015}}</ref>

Valletta was the [[European Capital of Culture]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/valletta/Pages/European-Capital-of-Culture-in-2018.aspx|title=Valletta awarded the title of European Capital of Culture in 2018|publisher=gov.mt|access-date=25 June 2015 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:City Gate, Valletta 002.jpg|[[Renzo Piano]]'s [[City Gate (Valletta)|Valletta City Gate]] (2014)
File:Parliament Building.jpg|Detail of the [[Parliament House (Malta)|Parliament House]] (2015)
File:Sacra Infermeria in 2016.jpg|[[Mediterranean Conference Centre]], former ''Sacra Infermeria'' (2016)
File:Triton Fountain.jpg|Renovated [[Tritons' Fountain]] (2018)
File:Drapeaux UE et Malte - La Valette.jpg|[[Auberge d'Italie]], renovated in 2016 to host the new [[MUŻA]] (''[[MUŻA|Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti]]'')
File:The interior after its restoration in 2018.jpg|Renovated covered market [[Is-Suq tal-Belt]], 2018
</gallery>

==Government==
<!--[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq Nofs-in-Nhar + Local Council 01 ies.jpg|thumb|Palazzo Lascaris, the former local council building]]-->
[[File:Castille at night.jpg|thumb|[[Auberge de Castille]] at night]]
[[File:Parliament House (Malta).jpeg|thumb|[[Renzo Piano]]'s [[Parliament House (Malta)|Parliament House]]]]

===Local government===
The Valletta Local Council was established by the Local Councils Act of 1993, along with the other [[local councils of Malta]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About Local Government|url=http://www.lca.org.mt/pages/iseSinglePages.asp?m=20|website=Local Councils' Association|access-date=12 July 2015|archive-date=7 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207214517/http://www.lca.org.mt/pages/iseSinglePages.asp?m=20|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first election was held on 20 November 1993. Other elections were held in 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013,<ref>{{cite web|title=Elezzjonijiet tal-Kunsilli Lokali fis-Snin li Għaddew (1993–2013)|url=http://lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Elezzjonijiet%201993-2013.pdf|website=lc.gov.mt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712111825/http://lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Elezzjonijiet%201993-2013.pdf|archive-date=12 July 2015|language=mt}}</ref> 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elezzjonijiet tal-Kunsilli Lokali 2015–2023|url=http://lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Elezzjonijiet%202015-2023.pdf|website=lc.gov.mt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712112012/http://lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Elezzjonijiet%202015-2023.pdf|archive-date=12 July 2015|language=mt}}</ref>
The present local council was elected in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Council Members|url=http://lc.gov.mt/Page.aspx?catid=12&pid=205|website=lc.gov.mt|access-date=12 July 2015|archive-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112222145/http://lc.gov.mt/Page.aspx?catid=12&pid=205|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The local council is housed in a building in South Street. <!-- OUTDATED -- Since the city has been selected as the European Capital of Culture, the council began to look for new premises at a more central location. Various proposals were made, including the [[Main Guard (Valletta)|Main Guard]], the [[Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta|Grandmaster's Palace]], [[Fort Saint Elmo]] and the former HSBC offices, but nothing has been decided {{As of|2015|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=No immediate solution to finding new premises for Valletta council|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150717/local/updated-no-immediate-solution-to-finding-new-premises-for-valletta.577012|access-date=17 July 2015|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=17 July 2015}}</ref> -->

The following people have served as Mayors of Valletta:<ref>{{cite web|title=Mayors from 1993|url=https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/mayors-from-1993/|website=vassallohistory.wordpress.com|date=16 August 2014|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref>
*Hector Bruno (1993–1999) ([[Nationalist Party (Malta)|PN]])
*[[Paul Borg Olivier]] (1999–2008) ([[Nationalist Party (Malta)|PN]])
*Alexei Dingli (2008–2019) ([[Nationalist Party (Malta)|PN]]) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20190220/timestalk/watch-commercial-interests-trumping-those-of-residents-former-valletta.702457|title=Watch: 'Valletta 2018 was a missed opportunity,' says former mayor|website=Times of Malta|date=20 February 2019 |language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-20}}</ref> 
*Christian Micallef (2019) ([[Nationalist Party (Malta)|PN]]) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-01-15/local-news/Christian-Micallef-sworn-in-as-new-Mayor-of-Valletta-6736202090|title=Christian Micallef sworn in as new Mayor of Valletta – The Malta Independent|website=www.independent.com.mt|access-date=2019-05-20}}</ref>
*Alfred Zammit (2019–) ([[Labour Party (Malta)|PL]]) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/news/il-pl-jirbah-il-kunsill-lokali-tal-belt-valletta/|title=Alfred Zammit is-sindku tal-Belt Valletta – TVM|website=www.tvm.com.mt|date=29 May 2019 |access-date=2019-05-31}}</ref>

===National government===
Valletta is the capital city of Malta,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Maltese Islands|url=https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Maltese%20Islands/Pages/The-Maltese-Islands.aspx|website=[[Government of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717055049/https://gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Maltese%20Islands/Pages/The-Maltese-Islands.aspx|archive-date=17 July 2015}}</ref> and is the country's administrative and commercial hub.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Capital City Valletta|url=https://www.gov.mt/en/Pages/Valletta-Write-up.aspx|website=[[Government of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627103211/https://www.gov.mt/en/Pages/Valletta-Write-up.aspx|archive-date=27 June 2015}}</ref> The [[Parliament of Malta]] has been housed at the [[Parliament House (Malta)|Parliament House]] near the city's entrance since 2015: it was previously housed at the [[Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta|Grandmaster's Palace]] in the city centre.<ref>{{cite book|last=Maitland|first=Robert|date=2014|title=Tourism in National Capitals and Global Change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQDPBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA137|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317850076|pages=135–142}}</ref> The latter palace still houses the Office of the [[President of Malta]],<ref name="president">{{cite web|title=Il-Palazz tal-Belt|url=http://president.gov.mt/il-palazzi-tal-president/il-palazz-tal-belt/|website=Office of the President of Malta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926164218/http://president.gov.mt/il-palazzi-tal-president/il-palazz-tal-belt/|archive-date=26 September 2015|language=mt}}</ref> while the [[Auberge de Castille]] houses the Office of the [[Prime Minister of Malta]]. The [[Courts of Justice building (Valletta)|courthouse]] and many government departments are also located in Valletta.<ref name="nicpmi">{{cite web|title=Auberge de Castille et Leon|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01127.pdf|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|date=28 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111831/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01127.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Prelucrare 3D pentru La Valletta Harbour.jpg|thumb|Valletta between its two harbours]]
The Valletta [[peninsula]] has two natural harbours, [[Marsamxett Harbour|Marsamxett]] and the [[Grand Harbour]].<ref name="olivergatt">{{cite book|last=Gatt|first=Oliver|date=2008|title=Valletta City of the Knights|url=http://www.bdlbooks.com/knights/279-valletta-city-of-the-knights.html|publisher=Bdlbooks.com|page=1|isbn=978-99957-20-05-6}}</ref> The Grand Harbour is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at nearby [[Marsa, Malta|Marsa]]. A cruise-liner terminal is located along the old seawall of the [[Valletta Waterfront]] that [[Portugal|Portuguese]] Grandmaster [[Manuel Pinto da Fonseca]] built.<ref>{{cite book|last=Guillaumier|first=Alfie|date=2005|title=Bliet u Rħula Maltin|volume=2|publisher=Klabb Kotba Maltin|page=947|isbn=99932-39-41-0}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Malta}}
Valletta features a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csa'') with very mild, wet winters and warm to hot, slightly long, dry summers, with an average annual temperature above {{convert|23|°C|0|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|16|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Valletta experiences a lack of precipitation during the summer months and most of the precipitation happens during the winter months. Winter temperatures are moderated by the surrounding sea, as a result, the city has very mild winters and a long seasonal lag. The official climate recording station in Malta is at Luqa Airport, which is a few miles inland from Valletta. Average high temperatures range from around {{convert|16|°C|0|abbr=on}} in January to about {{convert|32|°C|0|abbr=on}} in August, while average low temperatures range from around {{convert|10|°C|0|abbr=on}} in January to {{convert|23|°C|0|abbr=on}} in August.

{{Weather box
|location = Malta (Luqa Airport in the suburbs of Valletta, 1991–2020)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 15.7
|Feb high C = 15.7
|Mar high C = 17.4
|Apr high C = 20.0
|May high C = 24.2
|Jun high C = 28.7
|Jul high C = 31.7
|Aug high C = 32.0
|Sep high C = 28.6
|Oct high C = 25.0
|Nov high C = 20.8
|Dec high C = 17.2
|year high C = 23.1
|Jan mean C = 12.9
|Feb mean C = 12.6
|Mar mean C = 14.1
|Apr mean C = 16.4
|May mean C = 20.1
|Jun mean C = 24.2
|Jul mean C = 26.9
|Aug mean C = 27.5
|Sep mean C = 24.9
|Oct mean C = 21.8
|Nov mean C = 17.9
|Dec mean C = 14.5
|year mean C = 19.5
|Jan low C = 10.1
|Feb low C = 9.5
|Mar low C = 10.9
|Apr low C = 12.8
|May low C = 15.8
|Jun low C = 19.6
|Jul low C = 22.1
|Aug low C = 23.0
|Sep low C = 21.2
|Oct low C = 18.4
|Nov low C = 14.9
|Dec low C = 11.8
|year low C = 15.9
|Jan precipitation mm = 79.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 73.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 45.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 20.7
|May precipitation mm = 11.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 6.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 17.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 60.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 81.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 91.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 93.7
|year precipitation mm = 580.7
|Jan precipitation days = 10.0
|Feb precipitation days = 8.2
|Mar precipitation days = 6.1
|Apr precipitation days = 3.8
|May precipitation days = 1.5
|Jun precipitation days = 0.8
|Jul precipitation days = 0.0
|Aug precipitation days = 1.0
|Sep precipitation days = 4.3
|Oct precipitation days = 6.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.7
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|year precipitation days = 61
|unit precipitation days = 1.0&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 169.3
|Feb sun = 178.1
|Mar sun = 227.2
|Apr sun = 253.8
|May sun = 309.7
|Jun sun = 336.9
|Jul sun = 376.7
|Aug sun = 352.2
|Sep sun = 270.0
|Oct sun = 223.8
|Nov sun = 195.0
|Dec sun = 161.2
|year sun = 3054
|source 1 = ''Meteo Climate'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luqa Weather Averages 1991–2020 |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1991-2020-1-p138.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141010095844/http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1991-2020-1-p138.php |archive-date=10 October 2014 |access-date=2 June 2015 |publisher=Meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org}}</ref> MaltaWeather.com (sun data)<ref name="MaltaWeather">{{Cite web |title=Malta's Climate |url=http://www.maltaweather.com/information/maltas-climate/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806124550/http://www.maltaweather.com/information/maltas-climate/ |archive-date=6 August 2015 |access-date=21 October 2013 |publisher=Maltaweather.com |df=dmy}}</ref>|date=October 2013}}

==Cityscape==
[[File:Valletta Lower Barrakka gardens Malta 2014 2.jpg|thumb|[[Lower Barrakka Gardens]] and its monument of remembrance]]
The architecture of Valletta's [[List of streets and piazzas in Valletta|streets and piazzas]] ranges from mid-16th century Baroque to [[Modernist architecture|Modernism]]. The city is the island's principal cultural center and has a unique collection of churches, palaces and museums and act as one of the city's main visitor attractions. When [[Benjamin Disraeli]], future British Prime Minister, visited the city in 1830, he described it as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen," and remarked that "Valletta equals in its noble architecture, if it does not excel, any capital in [[Europe]]," and in other letters called it "comparable to [[Venice]] and [[Cádiz]]" and "full of palaces worthy of [[Palladio]]."<ref name="MaltaExpo">{{cite web|url=http://www.maltaexpo.com/page.asp?p=16005&l=1|title=Valletta – the Capital City|access-date=30 November 2008|publisher=Maltaexpo.com|archive-date=3 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703235029/http://www.maltaexpo.com/page.asp?p=16005&l=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Collectables">{{cite web|url=http://collectables.maltaexpo.com/page.asp?n=product&p=209746&c=734|title=LP21 – Valletta 'Citta Umilissima' Lapel Pin|access-date=30 November 2008|work=Collectables – Our Products|publisher=Maltaexpo.com|archive-date=3 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703235130/http://collectables.maltaexpo.com/page.asp?n=product&p=209746&c=734|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Buildings of historic importance include [[St John's Co-Cathedral]], formerly the Conventual Church of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]]. It has the only signed work and largest painting by Michelangelo Merisi da [[Caravaggio]].<ref name="Patrick2007">{{Cite book|last=Patrick|first=James|title=Renaissance and Reformation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6ZJlLHLPY8C&pg=PA194|year=2007|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-7651-1|page=194}}</ref> The [[Auberge de Castille|Auberge de Castille et Leon]], formerly the official seat of the Knights of Malta of the Langue of Castille, Léon and Portugal, is now the office of the [[Prime Minister of Malta]].<ref name="nicpmi"/> The [[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]], built between 1571 and 1574 and formerly the seat of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, used to house the Maltese Parliament, now situated in a purpose-built structure at the entrance to the city, and now houses the offices of the [[President of Malta]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Grandmaster Palace|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01134.pdf|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|date=28 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507183023/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01134.pdf|archive-date=7 May 2016}}</ref>

[[Admiralty House (Valletta)|Admiralty House]] is a Baroque palace dating to the late 1570s. It was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet during the British era from the 1820s onwards. From 1974 until 2016, it was the site of the [[National Museum of Fine Arts (Malta)|National Museum of Fine Arts]].

The [[Manoel Theatre]] ({{langx|mt|Teatru Manoel}}) was constructed in just ten months in 1731, by order of Grand Master [[António Manoel de Vilhena]], and is one of the oldest working theatres in Europe. The Mediterranean Conference Centre was formerly the [[Sacra Infermeria]]. Built in 1574, it was one of Europe's most renowned hospitals during the Renaissance. The [[fortification]]s of the port, built by the Knights as a magnificent series of bastions, demi-bastions, cavaliers and curtains, approximately {{convert|100|m|ft|}} high, all contribute to the unique architectural quality of the city.

===Neighbourhoods===
[[File:Valletta, Malta - 2018 (39570984425).jpg|thumb|Valletta in the foreground and Fort Saint Elmo at the front]]
[[File:St Lazarus Curtain.jpg|thumb|Exterior and interior outlines of Valletta]]
Valletta contains a number of unofficial neighbourhoods, including:<ref name="melitensiawth">{{cite journal|last1=Zahra|first1=Lorenzo|title=Laqmijiet ta' Postijiet fil-Belt Valletta|journal=Melita Historica|date=1999|volume=2|issue=23|page=55|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/L-Imnara/L-Imnara.%2006(1999)2=23/09s.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417215246/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/L-Imnara/L-Imnara.%2006(1999)2=23/09s.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref>

*Strada Rjali – the main thoroughfare, [[Republic Street, Valletta|Triq ir-Repubblika]]
*l-Arċipierku – an area close to the [[Sacra Infermeria]]. Its name possibly derives from ''[[archipelago]]'' since it contains a number of lanes which break up the area into many "islands" of houses, or from ''[[Borgo (disambiguation)|archi-borgo]]'' since the area is located just outside [[Fort Saint Elmo]].<ref name="vallettaactionplan">{{cite web|title=Valletta Action Plan – Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Plan|url=http://www.cityofvalletta.org/common/file_provider.aspx?id=634612821044531250|website=Valletta Local Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417103833/http://www.cityofvalletta.org/common/file_provider.aspx?id=634612821044531250|archive-date=17 April 2016|pages=16–18}}</ref>
*il-Baviera – an area around the English Curtain, bounded by Old Bakery, Archbishop, Marsamxett and St. Sebastian Streets. It is named after [[Auberge de Bavière]].<ref name="vallettaactionplan"/>
*il-Biċċerija – an area close to il-Baviera, named after the [[slaughterhouse]] which was formerly located there.<ref name="vallettaactionplan"/>
*il-Kamrata – an area close to the [[Sacra Infermeria]]. It is named after the Camerata, a spiritual retreat which was demolished in the 19th century and replaced by social housing.<ref name="vallettaactionplan"/>
*Deux Balles ({{langx|mt|Duwi Balli}}) – an area close to il-Baviera. The name probably originates from the [[French occupation of Malta|French occupation]].<ref name="vallettaactionplan"/>
*il-Fossa – an area close to the Jews' Sally Port and Fort Saint Elmo. It is regarded as the worst maintained area of Valletta.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gauci|first1=Anisia|title=Regeneration of Jews Sally Port (Il-Fossa), Valletta|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4834|website=[[University of Malta]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417110842/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4834|archive-date=17 April 2016|date=2011}}</ref>
*[[Manderaggio]] ({{langx|mt|il-Mandraġġ}}) – an area behind Manderaggio Curtain, bounded by St. Mark, St. Lucia, St. Patrick and Marsamxett Streets. This was meant to be a small harbour ([[mandracchio]]) but it was never completed, and a slum area developed instead. The slums were demolished in the 1950s and were rebuilt as housing estates.<ref name="vallettaactionplan"/>
*

==Economy==
Eurostat estimates the labour force in 2015 for the greater Valletta area at around 91,000 people. This corresponds to a share of just under 50 percent of Malta. As in Malta as a whole, [[Tourism in Malta|tourism]] is an important economic sector. The most important tourist zone is the area surrounding the Grand Harbour. For the cruise industry, after several years of planning, work began in 2002 to build the Valletta Waterfront Project, a cruise terminal, in the Grand Harbour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/restoring-and-reviving-vallettas-waterfront.83943|title=Restoring and reviving Valletta's waterfront|website=timesofmalta.com|date=17 July 2005 |access-date=17 July 2005}}</ref> There is also a publishing house in Valletta, Allied Newspapers Ltd., a media company. This company publishes the two market-leading newspapers, ''[[Times of Malta]]'' and ''The Sunday Times of Malta''.

==Education==
The Valletta Campus of the [[University of Malta]] is situated in the Old University Building. It serves as an extension of the Msida Campus, especially offering international masters programmes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youthinfo.gov.mt/default.asp?m=cat&id=38|title=Valletta Campus – Youth Information|website=Youthinfo.gov.mt|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref>

A [[church school]], "St. Albert the Great", is also situated in Valletta. The Headmaster is [[Alternattiva Demokratika]] politician Mario Mallia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stalbert.edu.mt/find-st-albert-the-great/|title=Find Us|website=Stalbert.edu.mt|access-date=3 June 2018|archive-date=2 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602115104/http://www.stalbert.edu.mt/find-st-albert-the-great/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alternattiva.org.mt/people-2/|title=People – Alternattiva Demokratika|website=Alternativtiva.org.mt|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Renzo Piano Pjazza Teatru Rjal.jpeg|thumb|[[Renzo Piano]]'s Pjazza Teatru Rjal on the ruins of the [[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]]]]
[[File:Saint_James_Cavalier.jpeg|thumb|right|[[Saint James Cavalier]] at night]]
[[File:Merchants Street Valletta (80653).jpg|thumb|Merchants Street at night, with a statue of Saint Dominic]]
Valletta was designated [[European Capital of Culture]] for 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://valletta2018.org/|title=Valletta 2018|website=Valletta 2018}}</ref> The year was inaugurated with an event called '''Erba' Pjazez''' (Four Squares), with shows focused in 4 plazas in the city – [[Triton Fountain (Malta)|Triton Square]], [[St. George's Square, Valletta|St. George's Square]], [[St John's Square|St. John's Square]], and [[Auberge de Castille|Castille Square]] – along with other shows in other points.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://valletta2018.org/events/erba-pjazez/|title=Erba' Pjazez|website=Vallrtta2018.org|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref> This was followed by the unveiling of a public art installation, '''Kif Jgħid il-Malti''' (Maltese [[proverb|Sayings]]), which featured a number of [[Maltese language]] proverb figured in gypsum, in order to engage linguistic heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-02-02/local-news/A-bum-a-bird-and-a-pig-Valletta-2018-unveils-Kif-Jghid-Il-Malti-public-art-installations-6736184371|title=A bum, a bird and a pig: Valletta 2018 unveils 'Kif Jgħid Il-Malti' public art installations – The Malta Independent|website=Independent.com.mt|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/mobile/articles/view/20180202/arts-entertainment/valletta-2018-unveils-public-art-installations.669557|title=Arts & Entertainment|website=Timesofmalta.com|date=2 February 2018 |access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref>

===Saint James Cavalier===
[[Saint James Cavalier]], originally a raised gun platform, was converted into a Centre of Creativity in the year 2000 as part of Malta's Millennium Project. It now houses a small theatre, a cinema, music rooms and art galleries. Various exhibitions are regularly held there. It has welcomed over a million visitors since opening.<ref>{{cite web|title=St.James Cavalier Theatre Overview in Valletta, Malta|url=http://www.islandofgozo.org/place?id=42&item=stjames-cavalier-theatre|website=Island of Gozo|publisher=Gozo Tourism Association|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006132546/http://www.islandofgozo.org/place?id=42&item=stjames-cavalier-theatre|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Music===
The [[Valletta International Baroque Festival]] is held every year in January. Jazz music in Malta was introduced in the Strait Street area, frequented by Allied sailors during both [[world war|World War]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-01 |title=What are the best events taking place throughout the year in Malta? |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/why-choose-malta/best-events/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> Malta's Jazz Festival took place here. Strait Street is also known as ''The Gut''. This area is undergoing a programme of regeneration. The city's dual band clubs are the "[[King's Own Band|King's Own Band Club]]" ({{langx|mt|L-Għaqda Mużikali King's Own}}) and "La Valette National Philharmonic Society" ({{langx|mt|Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Nazzjonali La Valette}}).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

===Carnival===
Valletta is the scene of the [[Maltese Carnival]], held in February each year, leading up to [[Lent]].<ref name=cassar>{{cite journal|last1=Cassar Pullicino|first1=Joseph|title=The Order of St. John in Maltese folk-memory|journal=Scientia|date=October–December 1949|volume=15|issue=4|page=167|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417173522/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2015(1949)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> There were no carnival trucks in 2020 or 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|Covid-19 pandemic]], but trucks returned in 2022.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In 1823 the Valletta carnival was the scene of [[Carnival tragedy of 1823|a human crush tragedy]] in which at least 110 boys perished.<ref name="hezekiah">{{cite book|editor-link1=Hezekiah Niles|editor1-last=Niles|editor1-first=Hezekiah|title=Niles' Weekly Registrar|date=March–September 1823|publisher=William Ogden Niles|location=[[Baltimore]]|pages=189–190|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JPQaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA189|chapter=Melancholy Affair}}</ref>

===Feasts===
* The feast of [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]] is celebrated on 16 July
* [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]]'s feast is celebrated on 10 February
* [[Saint Dominic]]'s feast is celebrated in Valletta on 4 August or before
* The feast of [[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] is celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter
* The city's residents also conduct an annual procession in honour of [[St. Rita]]

===In literature and the arts===
* The poetical illustrations {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837/Valetta, Capital of Malta|"Valetta, Capital of Malta"]]}} (painted by T. C. Dibden, engraved by J. Tingle)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA92|section=picture|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA94|section=poetical illustration|page=31|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref> and {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837/Strada St. Ursola,—Malta|"Strada St. Ursola,—Malta"]]}} (painted by [[Samuel Prout]], engraved by J, Carter)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA148|section=poetical illustration|page=44|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA150|section=picture|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref> by [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]] were both published in ''Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book'', 1837. A further poem {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838/Jesuits in Procession—Valetta, Malta|Jesuits in Procession—Valetta, Malta]]}} illustrates a painting of the procession in the Strada St Giovanni painted by [[Samuel Prout]] and engraved by E. Challis is in ''Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book'', 1838.<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=49BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA6|section=picture and poetical illustration|page=6|year=1837|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta}}

Valletta is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Palermo and Valletta together for 2018. Cultural twinning at Palazzo Asmundo|url=http://www.palermoworld.it/eng/palermo-and-valletta-together-for-2018-cultural-twinning-at-palazzo-asmundo/|website=palermoworld.it|date=30 December 2017|publisher=Palermo World|access-date=18 September 2019}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Palermo]], Italy
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Pisa]], Italy
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Cortona]], Italy, since August 26, 2022
*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Rhodes]], Greece
*{{flagicon|LBN}} [[Byblos]], Lebanon
*{{flagicon|SVN}} [[Piran]], Slovenia

==Transport==
[[File:Malta - Valletta - Vjal Nelson - Bus terminal Valletta.jpg|thumb|Bus station at Valletta]]
[[Malta International Airport]] is {{convert|8|km}} from the city in the town of [[Luqa]]. Malta's [[Transport in Malta|public transport system]], which uses buses, operates mostly on routes to or from Valletta, with their central terminus just outside the [[City Gate (Valletta)|city gate]]. Traffic within the city itself is restricted, with some principal roads being completely pedestrian areas. In 2006, a [[park and ride]] system was implemented in order to increase the availability of parking spaces in the city. People can leave their vehicles in a nearby [[Floriana]] car park and transfer to a [[van]] for the rest of the trip.

In 2007, a [[congestion pricing]] scheme was implemented to reduce long-term parking and traffic while promoting business in the city.<ref name=CVA>{{cite web|title=CVA System – The Purpose Of|url=http://www.cva.gov.mt/|website=Controlled Vehicular Access Technology|access-date=18 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306095431/http://www.cva.gov.mt/|archive-date=6 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maltamedia.com/artman2/publish/govt_politics/article_1745.shtml|title=Valletta traffic congestion considerably reduced|date=6 May 2007|publisher=MaltaMedia News|access-date=5 April 2008}}</ref> An [[Automatic number-plate recognition|ANPR]]-based automated system takes photos of vehicles as they enter and exit the charging zone and vehicle owners are billed according to the duration of their stay.<ref name=CVA/>

Valletta is served by a fleet of electric taxis which transport riders from 10 points in Valletta to any destination in the city.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Galea Debono|first1=Fiona|title=Valletta gets its own clean taxi service|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070615/local/valletta-gets-its-own-clean-taxi-service.14499|access-date=24 June 2015|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=15 June 2007}}</ref>

As of 2021, an underground [[Malta Metro]] is being planned, with a projected total cost of €6.2 billion,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/watch-live-government-announces-metro-study-results.905092|title=Government unveils 25-station, €6.2 billion underground Metro proposal|website=Times of Malta|date=October 2021|access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> centred on the Valletta urban area.

[[Virtu Ferries]] offer passenger and goods services to [[Pozzallo]] and [[Catania]], Sicily.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seat61.com/Malta.htm#London_to_Valletta|title=London to Valletta|publisher=[[The Man in Seat Sixty-One]]|accessdate=16 February 2025}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{main|Category:People from Valletta}}

==Sports==
* [[Valletta F.C.]] Association Football team and Futsal team
* [[Valletta Lions RFC]] Rugby Football Union team
* Valletta's [[Marsamxett Harbour]] a "Regatta" (Rowing) Team, which takes part in the annual traditional Regatta on Victory Day (8 September).
* [[Valletta United W.P.C.]], a Water Polo Club hailing from Marsamxett side
*Valletta V.C., a Volleyball club.
*Marsamxett Boċċi, a <nowiki>''Boċċi''</nowiki> Club from Marsamxett, Valletta.
*Valletta St. Paul's Boċċi, a <nowiki>''</nowiki>Boċċi<nowiki>''</nowiki> Club from L-Arċipierku side, Valletta.

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|journal=Melita Theologica|last=Bianco|first=Lino|date=2009|title=Valletta: A city in history|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/15640/Valletta%20-%20A%20city%20in%20history_A5.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|volume=60|issue=2|publisher=University of Malta: Department of Architecture and Urban Design – Faculty for the Built Environment|pages=1–20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319195031/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/15640/Valletta%20-%20A%20city%20in%20history_A5.pdf|archive-date=19 March 2018|issn=1012-9588|oclc=1587122}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Valletta}}
* [http://www.cityofvalletta.org Valletta Local Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110207154320/http://maltaattraction.com/ Valletta Living History]
* [https://www.welcome-center-malta.com/valletta-maltas-capital-city-and-unesco-world-heritage-site/ Valletta, Malta's capital city and UNESCO World Heritage Site]
*[https://merhav.nli.org.il/primo-explore/search?query=any,contains,valletta%20map&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Local&sortby=lso01&vid=NLI&mfacet=topic,include,Valletta%20(Malta),1&lang=en_US&offset=0&came_from=sort Old maps] of Valletta from the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The [[National Library of Israel]]

{{Valletta}}
{{Local councils of Malta and Gozo}}
{{List of European capitals by region}}
{{European Capital of Culture}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Valletta| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Europe]]
[[Category:Local councils of Malta]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Malta]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1566]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Malta]]
[[Category:Planned capitals]]
[[Category:Cities built on a grid]]
[[Category:1566 establishments in Malta]]