This fortified suburb next to Valletta has Malta's largest public garden, the 19th-century Mall Gardens, and several historic churches built by the Knights of St. John.
Just beyond Valletta’s City Gate, Floriana provides a calm alternative to Malta’s capital. Italian engineer Pietro Paolo Floriani planned this fortified town in the 17th century, leaving baroque churches like St. Publius Parish, underground grain storage pits at the Granaries, and botanical gardens with rare plants. You can walk past the double-arched Portes des Bombes gate, examine the stone-carved Wignacourt Water Tower, or sit beneath fig trees in Argotti Botanic Gardens. Irish influences appear in local football team colors and pub signs, reflecting historical military ties. Open-air concerts fill the Granaries plaza in summer, and restaurants along the Grand Harbour serve ftira bread and lampuki fish pies with views of Valletta’s walls.
Defensive Walls and Town Layout
Floriana’s stone walls protected Valletta from land invasions for centuries. Engineers built the Floriana Lines between 1636 and 1721, creating deep ditches and angled bastions that forced attackers into crossfire zones. The Portes des Bombes gate displays Grandmaster Perellos’ coat of arms above its twin arches, originally part of the outer defenses. You can follow the remaining aqueduct from the Wignacourt Water Tower to Sa Maison Gardens, where carved lion heads once spouted water. Cracks in some bastion walls show where restoration work is needed, but the structure’s width—up to 30 meters in places—reveals why Ottoman forces avoided direct assaults here. Straight streets like St. Anne’s Street reflect Floriani’s grid plan, designed to let soldiers move quickly during sieges.
St. Publius Church and Underground Granaries
The dome of St. Publius Parish Church rises 42 meters above Floriana’s main square. Builders finished the church in 1792, decorating its interior with Carrara marble altars and paintings of St. Paul’s shipwreck near Malta. Next door, the smaller Sarria Chapel keeps 16th-century frescoes of Saint Francis receiving stigmata. In front of the church, 86 circular stone lids cover the Granaries’ underground silos, each holding 182 tons of wheat during the Knights’ rule. Modern crews install stages here for events like political speeches and the Isle of MTV festival, where 50,000 people watch international performers annually.
Public Gardens and Harbor Views
Floriana’s planners included green spaces to improve air quality during sieges. The Mall, a 350-meter promenade planted with ficus trees in 1656, has marble statues of Maltese prime ministers and two rectangular ponds filled with terrapins. Argotti Botanic Gardens grow aloe vera and century plants used in traditional medicine, while the Garden of Rest provides benches facing Marsamxett Harbour’s yacht marinas. For wider views, climb the Floriana Lines’ upper ramparts near the Maglio Gardens, where wild caper bushes grow between limestone blocks.
Irish Cultural Influences
British regiments stationed in Floriana during the 1800s introduced Irish traditions still visible today. After playing against the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in 1905, Floriana FC adopted green jerseys and the shamrock symbol, which they still wear in Malta’s Premier League. The Vilhena Band Club displays an Irish Naval Jack flag from 1997 near its collection of 19th-century brass instruments. You’ll find pubs like Shamrock Bar serving Guinness near the Granaries, and locals celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades featuring bagpipers in kilts. Cardinal Logue’s 1893 speech comparing Maltese resilience to Irish determination is quoted on plaques near the parish church.
Floriana Football Club History
Floriana FC holds Malta’s record for domestic football titles, winning 26 leagues since their 1894 founding. Their Independence Arena stadium hosts matches against rivals like Sliema Wanderers, with fans waving green-and-white scarves printed with the team’s lion emblem. That lion comes from Grandmaster Vilhena’s 18th-century coat of arms, visible on the Portes des Bombes gate. After wins, supporters gather at the Granaries to sing club anthems, continuing a tradition that once led to fines for violating 1910 public assembly laws. The team’s museum near the stadium displays vintage jerseys and a 1930s trophy shaped like a silver gondola.
Visiting Tips and Local Events
Malta’s buses 1, 2, 3, and X4 stop at Floriana’s City Gate terminal, a 10-minute walk from the Granaries. Most attractions cluster within a compact area bounded by the Mall gardens and the Grand Harbour. The art deco Phoenicia Hotel provides rooms with views of the ditch surrounding the Floriana Lines. Visit in late April for the Feast of St. Publius, when marching bands play in the streets and vendors sell honey rings and qassatat pastries. June brings free Isle of MTV concerts at the Granaries—arrive early for spots near the stage. Try local dishes like rabbit stew with garlic at Balzunetta Restaurant or grilled octopus at Piadina Bistro.
