I’m sure you haven’t seen city walls like these. They are the ramparts surrounding the land side of Valletta. Can anyone imagine assaulting the city from this side with such a deep ditch? No wonder the city was considered impregnable during the time of the Order. I have taken this shot with the scaffolding to give a sense of size to the walls – a large part of them cut out from the rocks. The arched bridge provided a means for reinforcing defenders on the outer fortifications or for retreat of troops into the inner city. If you look closely, the bridge does not reach the walls – there was a drawbridge there which could be drawn up if the place is under attack.
An elevator is being constructed to provide a faster way to go straight to the city from the port area. There was an elevator in the same place in my youth but because of lack of commuters it fell into disrepair and eventually removed. With the opening of the Valletta Waterfront and the great increase in cruise liners visiting Malta it has been felt that it would make sense to build a new elevator for the use of tourists visiting Malta by sea.
Many thanks for looking and for your lovely comments on yesterday,s picture.
That is massive! So is the scaffolding part of the elevator construction, or are they doing work on the walls too? The only thing that I have seen like this was a monastery in Greece which was built on top of a rock pillar. When it was originally constructed the monks went up and down via a sack hanging from a pulley system! It wasn't a fortress, but it certainly wasn't a life for a socialite! Great shot Dione! And I saw Malta in the parade of Nations last night and immediately thought of you!
