Photos

I was asked for info about Verdala Palace:
I got this info from : http://www.medinaproject.net/

The hunting lodge converted into a Palace

With the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St. John, various activities started to be introduced in Malta. One of these was hunting for pleasure. Although land in Malta was not conducive to this kind of activity, a few kilometres away from Mdina there was a small wooded area, which became a favourite hunting place. Grand Master La Valette build his small hunting lodge in the area. Later on, another Grand Master, namely Verdalle decided to build a proper countryside fortified palace next to this hunting lodge. The palace was built to the designs of Glormu Cassar, the Maltese architect. The palace is surrounded by a deep and wide ditch, and although it was never meant to be a fortification, the architect planned it to resemble a fortified place. There are four turrets at each corner, and it gives the impression of a very strong fort. The rooms inside the palace are richly decorated. There are frescoes depicting the most important events in the life history of Grand Master Verdalle, which were painted by the Florentine artist Filippo Paladini. There are other interesting pieces of furniture which enhance the large rooms of this palace. During the 18th century the palace was restored by Grand Master Vilhena who mostly concentrated on the upper floor. Here we find paintings depicting the various buildings that were built by this grand master in Malta. The Palace has had a varied history. It was also used by the British administration to hold French officers as prisoners at the beginning of the 19th century. The palace was then used by the Governors as their summer residence and today, following restoration works it is being used as the President’s summer residence. On the same grounds of the palace there is a small but highly interesting church, dedicated to St Anthony the Abbot.