Again it was wonderful weather, cold and wonderful sunshine. I had started out with my North Face parka on but before long that had to go, with the walking it was just too warm. When I got down to the waterfront the water was so clear, which is good to see in a busy harbour.
I went to the cathedral, which shocked me for all the incredibly rich decoration in it. I must admit when I see this in any religious building I am alway asking myself why, if the organization was so rich, why was more not spent on the people?
Everything closed early yesterday as it was New Years Eve, an arbitary day in a relativistic universe, but we have to celebrate it!
I came across this image on Facebook and had a good chuckle. And to on New Years Day the majority of stores and cafes were closed but I found a rather nice restaurant just up the road from my hotel named Rampila restaurant. It is situated in what was a gun emplacement in the ramparts. Rampila's Terrace is the the bastion emplacements overlooking the protective ditch and the entrance to the City in the very same vital strategic position planned by Liparelli. The tunnels and terrace were constructed under the Cavalier of St John and were designed to be the pivotal part of the defence of the city against attack from land. Together with the Cavalier of St. James, facing from the opposite of the bridge, these fortifications commanded the approaches to the city. Unfortunately, with the preservation work that is taking place their view is mainly of scaffolding. However the food was great, I had rabbit which 'tastes like chicken'.
As is was leaving I noticed a pulley with a rope running through it hanging over a hole leading downwards. On enquiring I was told this is a very old well (or more likely a cistern). It appeared to be the traditional bottle shape that goes back over two thousand years. And believe it or not it is still in use, they use if for watering the plants around the terrace. I have to imagine it was part of the Crusaders water security efforts.
Here is another Crusader water initiative, a tunnel that fed the fountains. Also known as the Knights Hospitaller and the Order of St. John, the Knights of Malta, established in 1099, gained a formidable military reputation as enemies of Muslims during the Crusades, a series of Christian military campaigns that originally had the goal of capturing Jerusalem. The Christian order, though vastly outnumbered by Ottoman Turks, triumphed in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
The experience, though, inspired them to found the fortress city of Valletta on a high peninsula that was secure but lacking in natural water sources. Water security was a major priority during the city's construction, the goal being to maintain the supply even during future sieges, according to Said. "They soon realized that the rainwater and the wells they had were just not enough," he said.
Water was therefore transported to the city from valleys to the west via an aqueduct, the remains of which still stand. The Palace Square location of the newfound tunnels supports the idea that the network was intended for water, the team said. The tunnel apparently fed a grand fountain in Palace Square via the underground reservoir. The fountain was later moved when the British ruled the island, from 1814 to 1964. We always seem to come to a place in our development of modernization where we forget the importance of water security.
"This fountain marked the very important achievement of getting water to the city," survey leader Borg said. Centuries-old lead pipes and metal valves for operating the fountain have been found, according to Said. The tunnel's connecting branches may have included service passages used by the Knights' chief hydraulic engineer, or fontaniere.
"Together with his team, [the fontaniere] was in charge of monitoring and maintaining the fountains and conduits," Said added. "They were also responsible for switching off the fountains at night."
Knights of Sanitation
Other rumors of underground Valletta include a secret carriageway from the city to the palace of the Roman Catholic inquisitor—charged with rooting out heretics—under Valletta's harbor. Such tales of secret military passages have more solid foundations, according to Said, since underground passages do run beneath the battlements protecting Valletta's landfront. But Said suspects many of the subterranean legends spring from water-supply and drainage tunnels.
Valletta was hit by plague in the 17th century, when the 1340s Black Death epidemic still loomed in people's minds, he said. "They wanted to make sure this problem never happened again," Said added. In fact, the city's plumbing system was highly advanced for the 16th and 17th centuries, he noted.
By comparison, major cities like London and Vienna "were still wallowing in their own muck."
