Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea |
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To this day, Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea still retain that romantic and medieval aura that is hard to find elsewhere on the islands. They’re simply a delight to wander through. Collectively, these three cities are also referred to as Cottonera.
Vittoriosa
Vittoriosa is Malta’s second-oldest town. It’s also known as Birgu.
Out of the three cities, it’s Vittoriosa that has the largest amount of attractions.
So if you’re pressed for time, just focus your exploration on Vittoriosa. You won’t be disappointed!
This captivating city is said to make visitors lose track of time. It’s simply a pleasure to just wander around its countless old alleys.
Besides looking around and simply taking in the atmosphere, Vittoriosa also has some intriguing buildings and museums that you can visit, making it one of the most interesting places in Malta!
Worthy of mention here are the Inquisitor’s Palace and Malta’s Maritime Museum. For full details on museums located in Vittoriosa, visit our Museums in Malta page.
Senglea and Cospicua
Senglea (also known as L-Isla) and Cospicua (also known as Bormla) were heavily bombarded during World War II so very little remains of the historic monuments and buildings that once adorned these two cities.Still, if you have some spare time on your hands and you’d like to wander around two cities that are not often on the typical tourist’s radar, then Senglea and Cospicua are two places in Malta that you definitely must visit!
The city of Cospicua was built on five hills. Studies indicate that the city has been inhabited since Prehistoric times!
It is believed that Prehistoric people lived in Bormla because of its proximity to the sea. So most probably, its first inhabitants were fishermen.
Like the other two cities, Cospicua is surrounded by massive fortifications! In fact, in Cospicua you will see not one but two sets of fortifications.
Historians say that after the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Knights were still living in fear of other “new” Muslim attacks. So they decided to strenghten their fortifications even further!
How did they do this? They built another set of fortifications ... and this time round they made them even larger than the first ones they built!
It is said that it took the Knights of Malta some 100 years to complete all the fortifications that surround the three cities, finishing the last set in 1736! And they’re still standing proudly to this day. Impressive isn’t it?
Getting there
For information and details on bus routes that serve this fascinating area, visit www.arriva.com.mt.
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