Valletta was built after the Great Siege of 1565. Malta had won the siege, but had paid dearly for its own freedom. The experiences of the siege had shown that if an enemy got hold of Mount Sciberras, Malta would have had to surrender.

Therefore, Grandmaster La Vallette, thought of constructing an entirely new city on this peninsula which had deep harbors on either side and Fort St.Elmo at the tip. La Vallette decided that the new city should not serve only as fortress, but that it should be a point of culture, economy and politics in the world. He decided that Valletta should become "a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen."

The city was to become known as Valletta, in honour of its founder.

On March 28th 1566, Grandmaster La Vallette laid the foundation stone. The area was levelled and a drainage system was built. The work was...