Also known as Lija Belvedere
Around a fortnight ago Max had a day off from school and together he and I went to literarily get lost in the narrow streets of the Three Villages of Lija, Attard and Balzan. They are known as such because of their similar age, design and the fact that they merge into each other. I have been to these villages several times and cannot tell which is which or where one ends and the other begins. Today I start a series of shots I took during our ‘blind’ walk.
This is Lija Belvedere designed by the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonavia where I parked the car so I could find it after our walk.
It was the Marquis Depiro and his family, then the owners of Villa Gourigon, who, in 1857, commissioned Architect Bonavia to construct this folly in the middle of the orange groves and gardens of their villa. In fact, the Belvedere was consequently used as a place of relaxation by the residents and their guests. Hence, the Lija Belvedere formed part of the extensive gardens of Villa Gourigon prior to the opening of Transfiguration Avenue in the 1950s. The belvedere has retained its original position and has become a landmark building due to its monumentality and by its association with Villa Gourigon.
Thank you very much for your looks, comments and fav's on yesterday's picture.
Ian