Why visit one city, when you can visit 3 in one? The trio of cities known by us Maltese as “Cottonera” are a real piece of living history just a stone throw away from our capital, as a matter of fact if you have indeed visited Valletta as suggested in our how to spend 7 days in Malta article, you have probably already seen the view of the 3 cities from Valletta!
Vittoriosa, being the oldest of the 3 cities, has held it’s ground since before the Middle Ages. The order of St. John united Vittoriosa together with Senglea and Cospicua during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to unify them into three fortified cities. They are still grouped together by the Cottonera lines which is a series of fortifications and fortified walls that safekept these 3 cities for centuries.
There’s plenty to say and add on each of these cities since their works involved more than one Grandmaster who served with the knights of St. John, therefore you can imagine the extent of their history and architecture. It is good to mention the fact that each of these cities has at least 2 names by which it is known, therefore we’re going to make it easy for you to track these on any Map and also be able to interpret any address or directions given to you by locals:
| Birgu | Vittoriosa |
| L-Isla | Senglea |
| Bormla | Cospicua |
Now that we’ve cleared the basics, pencil in a date on your calendar and make it happen!
