Valletta’s foundation stone was laid in 1566 and the city was designed to house the sons of some of Europe’s greatest families and to protect them from the Turkish Empire. The city was named after the French Grand Master Jean Parisot La Vallette who had fought off the attack in 1565 from the Turks despite being vastly outnumbered.

When Valletta was built only the best architects and engineers were used including Francesco Laparelli, who was sent to design the city on the orders of the Pope. The rulers of Europe were so impressed with the brave Knights that they sent money and gave the city everything it needed.

Lord Byron called Valletta “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”. Valletta can claim to be the first planned city of Europe and is laid out on a unique grid system It was built to rival any European capital and its numerous palaces were designed for prestige and aesthetic beauty.

The Maltese Islands are unique to the Mediterranean. The towns and villages contain Baroque palaces and beautiful churches and the fertile countryside has idyllic Farmhouses. There is so much culture and history everywhere you look in Malta that it is often described as an open air museum.

The Maltese Islands are in the centre of the Mediterranean just south of Sicily. They consist of three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino with a total population of 400,000 in an area of just over 300 square kilometres.

Malta has sunny weather for most of the year, has a fun nightlife and generous tax conditions for foreign residents. Many nationalities have occupied Malta over the centuries and this has left Malta with a marriage of cultural styles and traditions including English as one of Malta’s official languages.