Royal Opera House, Valletta

On Friday, May 18th, 1565, the fleet of the Ottoman Empire was sighted by the watchmen of The Knights of the Order of St. John at Forts St. Elmo and St. Angelo, heading for Malta.

And yesterday was the 442nd anniversary of what the event has been known since then as the Great Siege of Malta.

This reminds me of the ravages of (another) war - the second World War - that we are still facing every day. I am referring to the Royal Opera House (architect Edward Middleton Barry) in Valletta which was demolished 65 years ago on 7 April 1942. In 1955 a decision was taken to rebuild it but was cancelled at the last minute. Later on in the 80s and 90s other attempts were undertaken but either the lack of funds or lack of consensus from the public on its new architecture kept the Opera House in ruins. It's history is fascinating but what are we waiting for to get down to restoring it? For Godot, perhaps!!!




This is how the Royal Opera House looks today.

(photo: M Attard)