A space of land and sea : the early modern harbour of Malta

Abstract

When the Order of St John established itself on Malta (1530-1798) it set in motion a relentless process of transformation, in particular around the land that was washed by the waters of what they called the Porto Generale and what today we refer to as the Grand Harbour. Around these shores developed a dense port-conurbation that would come to consist of five cities: Valletta and Floriana on one flank, and Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua on the other. There was an intensive nexus - both physical and virtual- between these cities that was sustained by the daily crossing of several boats along this littoral, with the sea acting as a highway of communication. In turn, this 'land-locked sea' was not a self-contained world, but one which constantly interacted with both its hinterland and all the shores of the Mediterranean. The complex of bodies of water and stretches of land that constituted the early modern harbour of Malta was intended to be approached not so much from the land - as tends to be the case today for most visitors to Valletta - but from the sea.