1 comment.Exploring the underground tunnels of Valletta with FAA
 Email item
|  Print item
|
|
Following the success of last Saturday’s tour of underground Valletta, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA), will on Saturday, the 7th of March, give its members another opportunity to tour the rock-hewn tunnel that links the Auberge de Castille to the Auberge d’Italie, where the knights’ passages and cellars were incorporated into Valletta’s World War II network of tunnels.
The guided tour will start from the 16th-Century undercroft of the Auberge d’Italie in Merchants’ Street and proceed to the historic vaults of the Auberge de Castille via the British 1941 tunnel.
Sealed for almost six decades since the 1950s, the tunnels’ thick rock walls are etched with dates, masons’ marks and graffiti symbols, while water trickling through the rock has over the years covered the ceilings with tiny stalactites.
Emerging through the 16th century cellars of the Auberge de Castille, the walking tour will be given more information on Valletta’s history and architecture on the way to Casa Rocca Piccola in Republic Street where we will also visit Casa Rocca’s wartime shelter.
As an additional treat, high tea with sandwiches and home-baked cakes will be served at Casa Rocca Piccola, there is also the opportunity to book a FAA tour of Casa Rocca’s stately chambers and treasures at a specially reduced price of 5 Euros per person.
FAA said that since this is a very popular and limited event where the 50 places are normally snapped up within 48 hours, it is giving FAA members priority booking until Friday 27th February.
Therefore, those who wish to become a member or renew their FAA membership in order to join this tour may do so at http://faa.org.mt/membership/.
To book please go to https://ticketengine.faa.org.mt/ If there are any difficulties in booking kindly call 21310720
The meeting place is Auberge d’Italie, Merchants’ Street, Valletta, at 1.15 pm. The cost of tour inclusive of tea and refreshments: is 15 Euros per person.
For those interested in taking a Casa Rocca tour, this cost is 5 Euros discounted for FAA members.
i once read a book , written i think , by a retired doctor , about the network of caves and escape passages , under the houses of xhagra residents . he also mentioned some passages connected to ggantia being at that time excavated by the local historical groups (circa the 1920 s ) can anyone shed any further light on this? E-mail supplied