masterpiece
Going on into Valletta, a colossal
structure will tower over you as you
cross the first part of Republic Street.
The giant construction, seemingly
held afloat on top of miniscule steel
beams, is part of Italian architect
Renzo Piano’s plan for Valletta’s
revamp – and the seat of the Maltese
Parliament. Piano’s reconstruction of
City Gate, and also his construction
of the aforementioned staircases
were more or less accepted by the
Maltese population; however, the
Parliament building has been cause
of much speculation and heated
arguments among the populace,
and has even been nicknamed the
“cheese-grater”.
Nevertheless, Piano was successful
in integrating the traditional with
the non-conventional, in creating
such a modern masterpiece in the
heart of a Baroque city such as
Valletta. Beholding the edifice at
night is another story altogether.
As the warm yellow light lights up
the façade as well as the adjoining
staircases, you can truly comprehend
the fluidity of this Capital. Baroque
meets modern, 16th Century meets
21st Century, Maltese meets foreign.
The beautiful face of Valletta had
also been damaged, in some cases
beyond repair, after the horrific
attacks of World War II, during which
Malta, and especially Valletta, played
a key role. Being the main port in
Malta, Valletta’s harbour and its
neighbouring towns were constantly
bombarded with air-raids, some of
which left considerable damage to
the stunning architecture found in
the area. One such treasure now
lost forever, was the Royal Opera
House in Valletta. A stately, ornate
building, with a slew of Corinthian
columns aligning the entrance, the
‘Teatru Rjal’ was a massive structure,
capable of seating 1100 persons.
A Luftwaffe bombing in 1942 left
the theatre in tatters, with nothing
else but ruins in its place. These
ruins were to remain so for many
decades, prior to Piano’s renovation
project. The theatre’s remnants
have now been transformed into an
open air theatre, known as ‘Pjazza
Teatru Rjal’, or Royal Theatre
Square. Several concerts, gigs,
shows and plays take place in this
revived setting – where once again
the contemporary plays well with
the bygone.
11