National Museum Of Fine Arts

Art galleries across Europe have a fine tradition of occupying some stunning buildings. So much so, that a lot of them would be worth going to just to see inside. There’s the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Prado in Madrid, Florence’s Uffizi and London’s National Gallery. This Maltese one is housed in a Rococo palace built by one of the legendary Kinghts of Malta. It's the National Museum of Fine Arts.

It’s located at the lower end of South Street, an area well-known for its wine bars and cafes in the capital city of Valletta. This museum houses the major part of the nation’s collection, displaying works by Maltese and foreign artists.

It was one of the earliest buildings to be constructed in Valletta and served as residence to a number of the legendary Knights of the Order of St John. The Knights built Valletta as a new capital city for the island after thankful donations poured in from Catholic countries when they defeated the Ottomans and maintained the Med’s Christian status.

It was later rebuilt during the 1760s by Ramon de Sousa y Silva, a rather well-off Portuguese knight who chose it as his private residence. The architecture of the building is a stunning example of the mid 18th century late Baroque style and incorporates one of the most amazing main staircases on the island.

To keep the Knights of Malta theme going, many of the works on display inside were once owned by them and they come from the Magistral Palace as well as the various auberges that the knights made their homes plus churches and other buildings that they administered.

During the early 19th century the palace was home to a member of the French aristocracy, the Comte de Beaujolais. But by the 1820s he’d departed and the British had moved in.

The palace became the seat of the Commander-in Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet and assumed the name of Admiralty House. It played host to a number of high-ranking visitors - including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George V and Queen Elizabeth II.

The palace became officially inaugurated as the National Museum of Fine Arts in 1974 and now presents all different types of art from the medieval period to contemporary pieces. The permanent display includes the largest collection of paintings by Baroque artist Nattia Preti - an Italian Knight of the Order of Malta who also contributed to the transformation of the interior of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

Other notable artists on display include Giuseppe Ribera, Carlo Maratta, Edward Lear, Melchiore Cafa and Antonio Sciortino. There is also a watercolour by one of England’s finest artists, JMW Turner, which is on permanent loan from HSBC Malta, and a painting by German-American artist Albert Bierstadt.

The museum is now part of the Heritage Malta stable and opens seven days a week from 9am to 5pm. Admission is €5 for adults with a discounted rate of €3.50 available to children, students and OAPs. Children under five years of age enter free of charge.

Look out also for the Valletta multi-site ticket which costs €20 (or €30.00 with audio guides) and also gets you into the National Archaeology Museum, the Palace Armoury and Palace State Rooms as long as you visit them all in one day.