The 1565 siege
The Great Siege's fiercest fighting was here; holding out gave it the name victorious.
Xwejnusgozo (montage)Berthold Werner, Ies, Mboesch, MrPanyGoff and Sudika (original photos) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edelmauswaldgeist — CC0 · Edelmauswaldgeist — CC0 · Rhododendrites — CC BY-SA 4.0
The oldest of the Three Cities facing Valletta across the Grand Harbour, and the seat of the Knights of St John before the present capital was built. That chronology is the key: when the Knights arrived in Malta in 1530 they settled here, not in Valletta, which did not yet exist. When the Ottomans besieged the island in 1565, the fiercest fighting was against this town and its fort. After it held, it gained its second name, Vittoriosa, the victorious, and Valletta was afterwards built on the hill opposite as a lesson learned from that siege. The result is that Birgu is older than the capital, and its lanes are narrower and less regular than Valletta's grid. Walking is the visit: tight winding streets, stone arches, painted wooden balconies and the small palaces of the Knights. Along the water is a yacht marina with cafés and restaurants, a sharp contrast with the lanes behind it. Practical points: walking the town is free and always open. The easiest approach from Valletta is the ferry across the harbour, which is short, cheap and among the finest short crossings in Malta. Museums inside the town are separately ticketed.
The Great Siege's fiercest fighting was here; holding out gave it the name victorious.
Winding narrow streets — the opposite of Valletta's rigid grid.
The capital was built opposite afterwards as a lesson from that siege.
The Three Cities, across the Grand Harbour
Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea (Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla), three adjoining towns on two peninsulas facing Valletta. All predate the capital and were the Knights' naval centre. Birgu is the best known and best preserved, Senglea has a famous harbour viewpoint, and Cospicua is the largest and least touristed.
Two hours to half a day. Two hours covers the lanes and the waterfront; half a day allows Fort St Angelo, the Inquisitor's Palace and a maritime museum. Make it an afternoon and eat at the marina — the place is at its best at sunset.
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