Casa Rocca Piccola, Valletta, Malta

Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace in Valletta and home of the noble de Piro family. The history of the building goes back over 400 years to an era in which the Knights of St John, having successfully fought off the invading Turks in 1565, decided to build a prestigious city to rival other European capitals such as Paris and Venice. Palaces were designed for prestige and aesthetic beauty in most of Valletta"s streets, and bastion walls fortified the new sixteenth-century city. Casa Rocca Piccola was one of two houses built in Valletta by Admiral Don Pietro la Rocca. It is referenced in maps of the time as 'la casa con giardino' meaning, the house with the garden, as normally houses in Valletta were not allowed gardens. Changes were made in the late 18th century to divide the house into two smaller houses. Further changes were made in 1918 and before the second world war an air raid shelters was added. The Casa Rocca Piccola Family Shelter is the second air-raid shelter to be dug in Malta. In 2000 a major restoration project saw the two houses that make up Casa Rocca Piccola reunited.

Casa Rocca Piccola was designed with long enfilades of interconnecting rooms on the first floor, while leaving the ground floor rooms for kitchens and stables. The house has over fifty rooms, including two libraries, two dining rooms, many drawing rooms, and a chapel.

The house is furnished with collections of furniture, silver and paintings from Malta and Europe. Casa Rocca Piccola houses Malta"s largest private collection of antique costumes.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Milda Dargyte (20 months ago)
Very casual place to have a wine break in Valetta

Елена Малиновская (20 months ago)
Stunning place! Rich history of the family and of the island, wonderful interiors, charming garden! A must - for sure!

Carol Muprhy (20 months ago)
Beautiful house and excellent guide. Well worth a visit.

Aniela Ionelia (21 months ago)
The guide was amazing! The place is a nice and cozy manison, which we enjoyed visiting.

claudine cochez (21 months ago)
I would not call this a Palace. Mansion of the noblesse i would say. A rather large collection of photos and portrets of members of the family. The guided tour is not sufficient , every room had/has it's own purpose and there is simply not enough time you look at every item ... On the other hand it was not expensive entrance fee.

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