The iconic victory over the might of the Ottoman Empire in 1565, bolstered with the systematic building of coastal defences around Malta, encouraged the top three dignitaries in Malta, namely the Grand Master, the Inquisitor and later the Bishop, as well as the nobility to venture out of the cities of Vittoriosa, Mdina and (later) Valletta for their “honest recreation and spiritual regeneration”.
This was perfectly in line with the great Italian poet Petrarch’s pio… (View original article)