If you want to know the history of Malta from the 17th century, you can visit the Rocca house on Republican Valletta Street - this is one of the colorful monuments of the state, preserved in excellent condition: rooms, interior decoration, documents and other exhibits of the museum will allow you to find out how Maltese lived aristocrats, get acquainted with the history of the whole country on the example of one family.
Home story
In the 17th century, the base of the building was built by the Admiral of the Maltese Navy, Don Pietro la Rocca. Each subsequent owner was also a high-ranking and respected person on the island: the house was constantly expanding, being completed and acquiring new beautiful and unique interior elements.
At the end of the 18th century, the building was divided into two parts, but after several decades it was again connected, the separating structures were removed. The house was constantly owned by the most famous people of Malta, and now this tradition has remained unchanged - the local marquise is the owner of the house-museum. Currently, the house has been renovated and welcomes tourists every morning except Sunday.
Museum Features
The building is well preserved, including kitchens, a church, and stables. The house has a rectangular shape, inside all rooms communicate with each other using long corridors. The museum will delight tourists with a guided tour of all the premises used by the aristocrats of Malta:
- dining rooms
- a library
- offices
- boudoirs and so on.
All rooms retained the decoration of the 17th century, and furniture of those times was preserved, with the exception of some items replaced with furniture of the 18-19th centuries. The rooms on the walls, tables and other elements of the interior display exhibits of collections: paintings, documentary monuments. Museum visitors can study all the documents that have been kept by the Piro family since the 16th century: marriage contracts, letters, bills, orders, and so on.
Independent visits to the museum are prohibited - only with a guide: there is a tour of 9 € per person, the time of visits is from 10 to 16 hours. Tourists will see how the aristocrats of past centuries lived, where they rested, in which rooms they worked and met guests.
Interesting Facts
- Total number of rooms is 50.
- Among the collection are lace and costumes of the 16th century.
- The attraction is considered one of the most colorful in Valletta.
- In addition to rooms, tourists can look into the old basement.
The object belongs to museums.
