Valletta strools: Republic Street – St John’s Co-Cathedral

Next up: Malta and its capital—Valletta.

We’re launching a new “step-by-step” walking series—unhurried, but with narration, fun facts, and details that are easy to miss when you’re simply “ticking off” landmarks. This is meant to be Valletta from street level: a fortress-city that echoes with history—in stone, in the shade of narrow streets, and in the facades of its buildings.

In the first episode we walk along Republic Street—the city’s main axis. We start at City Gate and immediately feel we’re stepping into a place designed not only for “beauty,” but also with defense and order in mind. Along the way we pass the opera area—Pjazza Teatru Rjal—stop by atmospheric churches (St Barbara Church and St Francis Church), and also take a quick look at the National Museum of Archaeology.

Then we move through the spots you simply have to see in Valletta at least once: Great Siege Square, the monumental St John’s Co-Cathedral, and the Grandmaster’s Palace. Along the way we also swing by the area around Republic Square and finish in a place with a completely different vibe—Casa Rocca Piccola: more “home-like,” more private, with a story written in the details of its interiors.

If you like walks where the camera is only a pretext, and what matters most is slipping into the atmosphere of a place (and catching those little “aha!” moments along the way)—this is the perfect episode for a first meeting with Valletta. ✨