Museums in Valletta

Lascaris War Rooms


The Ditch (21234936). Open
9.30am-4pm Mon-Fri; 9.30am-12.30pm Sat, Sun.

In deep dungeons dug in the bedrock underneath Valletta, originally exca- vated by the Knights as prison cells for their slaves, the wartime era is reconstructed with props and wax dummies in the same place where the British forces planned the war effort in Malta and plotted the submarine attacks that disrupted Axis supplies. A lively in- formative audio commentary leads you through the complex by recounting the plans of war operation that went on in each room.
National Museum of Archaeology

Auberge de Provence, Republic Street

(21221623/www.heritagemalta.org). Open 9am-5pm daily.

Malta's fantastic Neolithic discoveries are displayed chronologically from 5200 to 2500 BC. The impressed pottery bowls and rock-cut tombs of the earliest Neo-lithic settlers are simple, but the exhibits t of the next hall- a large stone pot and spiral motifs carved in stone that were un- I earthed in the Neolithic Temple of Tarxien -are resonant with symbolic meaning' and illustrate the dramatic artistic evolu- tion of Malta's Neolithic community. The zenith of Neolithic art is displayed in the : fascinating collection of human figures) ranging from arcane stone heads to small c statuettes to large human-size figures re-ferred to as the 'fat lady' and thought to , represent some kind of fertility cult or worship. The most elegant of these figures is the small naked figurine of supple proportions dubbed the Venus of Malta. The last room exhibits pottery, tools, beads and other ornaments. While visiting, observe the beautiful architecture of the edifice. The museum is housed within the well-preserved Auberge de Provence, one of the finest buildings in Valletta.

The richly painted walls and wooden beamed ceiling of the large top floor salon are truly remarkable. Until July 31 2007, the museum is hosting a prestigious exhibition of 81 artefacts from the Chinese terracotta army, one of the great wonders of the world, including terracotta soldiers, horses and a number of bronze and pottery cooking utensils, personal ornaments, weapons, coins, terracotta animals and other artefacts excavated in the last 30 years.

National Museum of Fine Arts

South Street (21225769/www. heritagemalta.org. Open 9am-5pm daily)

The splendid national gallery, housed in a lavish rococo palace, is a treasure trove of paintings by artists throughout the centuries, starting from the 14th and paintings are grouped together by schools. Most subjects depict religious themes and biblical events. The best works are by the Italian baroque artist Mattia Preti, whose intense biblical depictions occupy two rooms (the Museum holds the largest public display of paintings by Mattia Preti) and by the French Antoine de Favray whose portraits of the Knights take up another room. There is also a good selection of paintings by Malta's most famous artist Giuseppe Cali, as well as a collection of

Maltese silverware. Much of the collection was originally displayed in buildings of the Order of St John, such as auberges, Grand Master's palaces and churches but following the departure of the Order from Malta in 1798, the works of art were administered by the State.

National War Museum

Fort St Elmo (21222430/www.heritagemalta.org. Open 9am-5pm daily)

The museum, housing a large display of World War II memorabilia, offers an absorbing insight into Malta's important military role in the post-1800 era under British rule, especially during the war. Among the exhibits are a range of guns, jeeps, aircraft and an Italian U-Boat, one of the bombladen boats that the Italians rammed, in suicide operations, into their target before exploding. Other exhibits include photographs depicting the difficult conditions the Maltese lived through during the years 1940-43 and an array of military uniforms, badges, medals, soldiers' diaries and a replica of the George Cross that was awarded to the Maltese nation -the only time in British history that this medal was awarded to a nation collectively -for bravery and endurance in the face of near-starvation and blanket aerial bombardment.