For nearly two centuries, Villa Frere has captivated visitors with its rich and varied history, and none of its features has stirred more curiosity than the mysterious “dreadful awful hole”. Edward Said, founding volunteer of The Friends of Villa Frere, will uncover the story behind this intriguing feature.

After the lecture, guests are invited to enjoy a complimentary drink by the tempietto.

All proceeds support the ongoing upkeep of Villa Frere’s historic gardens, managed by The Friends of Villa Frere under the auspices of Heritage Malta.

Tickets are available online or from any Heritage Malta museum or site.

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The post That “dreadful awful hole” in Pietà appeared first on Heritage Malta.

Participants will delve into the rich history of millinery in Malta throughout the 20th century, all within the evocative setting of this splendid historical palace. The tour highlights fascinating insights into craftsmanship, social customs, and the evolving fashion trends that shaped Malta’s headwear traditions.

Two guided tours will be offered: one in English from 9:00am to 10:00am, and another in Maltese from 10:30am to 11:30am.

The event is free of charge and exclusively open to Heritage Malta members, but pre-booking is required. Tickets may be booked online or from any Heritage Malta museum or site.

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The post Hats Off – Curator’s Tour – Members’ Event appeared first on Heritage Malta.

Participants will be divided into two groups: one will join a curator’s tour of Ħaġar Qim, discovering its 5000-year-old architecture and its relationship with the surrounding landscape, while the other will take part in a guided astronomy session with telescope observations of Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and other deep-sky objects.

Each activity will be offered once in Maltese and once in English. After the first session, groups will switch so all participants can experience both the astronomy session and the archaeological tour. The event runs from 6:45pm to 9:30pm.

Light nibbles will be served before the activities begin, and comfortable footwear is recommended.

Tickets are available at Heritage Malta’s online store and from all Heritage Malta museums and sites.

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The post Astronomical Observations appeared first on Heritage Malta.

Il-mixja se tibda minn ħdejn il-Knisja ta’ Sant’Ubaldeska fl-10.00am, u wara nimxu lejn il-pjazza ta’ Raħal Ġdid u minn quddiem il-Knisja ta’ Kristu Re. Minn hemm inkomplu triqitna lejn l-Ipoġew ta’ Ħal Saflieni.

F’Ħal Tarxien imbagħad, se naraw u niskopru tagħrif dwar aktar imqades u mkejjen kurjużi – fosthom ma jistax jonqos il-Kumpless Preistoriku ta’ Ħal Tarxien, fejn se jkollna waqfa żgħira għall-kafè.

Il-biljetti jiswew €10 għall-adulti, u €5 għall-anzjani, studenti, tfal sa 11-il sena, u membri ta’ Heritage Malta.

Erfa’ postok minn kwalunkwe mużew jew sit ta’ Heritage Malta, jew online.

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The post (FULLY BOOKED) Mixja ma’ Mario Coleiro – Ħal Tarxien u Raħal Ġdid appeared first on Heritage Malta.

The visit will focus on the prehistoric period of Maltese history. Young participants will explore the life of our islands’ early settlers, the building techniques involved in the megalithic structures, the people’s way of dealing with death and the afterlife.

Tickets (each including admission for one accompanying adult) are available online and from all Heritage Malta museums and sites.

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The post Juniors’ Discovery Tour – Student Passport appeared first on Heritage Malta.

If yes, do not miss this opportunity to join us on Sunday 18th January 2026, for an exclusive activity at the Grand Master’s Palace in the heart of Valletta.

Titled ‘In the Grand Masters’ Footsteps’, this activity will see young participants being guided around the magnificent building of the Grand Master’s Palace, where the Knights of St John once lived, trained, and made important decisions about Malta.

They will explore rooms filled with detailed secret symbols and stories of bravery and adventure, while walking through history and imagining what life could have looked like for a young knight in this very palace.

Three tours will be conducted – the first one in Maltese at 09:00am, followed by another tour in English at 10:00am, and a bilingual tour at 11:00am.

Tickets are free (each including admission for one accompanying adult) but pre-booking is required, either by sending an email to education.heritagemalta@gov.mt or by visiting any Heritage Malta site or museum. 

Important note: To secure your participation, a valid Heritage Malta Passport VISA stamp must be shown – either as an image or physically.

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The post In the Grandmasters’ Footsteps – VISA Activity appeared first on Heritage Malta.

The Peninsular War (1808-1814) between France and Spain was a violent convulsion of anarchy, starvation and slaughter, with long-lasting catastrophic effects. To have survived such a war was a remarkable feat in itself but Spanish artist Goya went much further, immortalizing the brutality of that conflict with a series of 80 etchings titled Disasters of War.

Heritage Malta is exhibiting these etchings at the Grand Master’s Palace, thanks to the collaboration of Fundación MAPFRE as well as MAPFRE Malta and the Bank of Valletta Foundation. This is the very first time in Malta that an entire exhibition is dedicated to Goya’s work.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) is considered to be the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Disasters of War series (c.1810-15) is deemed as his personal reflection on the devastating effects of war on people, showing scenes that are raw and unsettling in their depiction of battlefield horror and dehumanization.

The event starts at 11.30am and pre-booking is required. Tickets are available online here and at any Heritage Malta museum or site.

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The post (Fully Booked) Goya’s Disaster of War – Curator’s Tour appeared first on Heritage Malta.

The Peninsular War (1808-1814) between France and Spain was a violent convulsion of anarchy, starvation and slaughter, with long-lasting catastrophic effects. To have survived such a war was a remarkable feat in itself but Spanish artist Goya went much further, immortalizing the brutality of that conflict with a series of 80 etchings titled Disasters of War.

Heritage Malta is exhibiting these etchings at the Grand Master’s Palace, thanks to the collaboration of Fundación MAPFRE as well as MAPFRE Malta and the Bank of Valletta Foundation. This is the very first time in Malta that an entire exhibition is dedicated to Goya’s work.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) is considered to be the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Disasters of War series (c.1810-15) is deemed as his personal reflection on the devastating effects of war on people, showing scenes that are raw and unsettling in their depiction of battlefield horror and dehumanization.

The event starts at 10am and is free of charge, but pre-booking is required. Tickets are available online here and at any Heritage Malta museum or site.

The post (Fully Booked) Guided Tour of Goya’s Disasters of War – Members’ Event  appeared first on Heritage Malta.

The streets of Birgu, Bormla and Isla still carry traces of the people who lived and worked there over the centuries. Their buildings remain, but many of their stories have yet to be brought to light.

‘Sea, Walls & Souls: A Social History of Birgu, Bormla and Isla 1530–1630’ by Rachel Grillo, a Heritage Malta researcher based at the Inquisitor’s Palace, presents these stories using firsthand material from Maltese archives. The book examines everyday life in the three harbour communities through themes such as crime, markets, parishes, and local government during the early period of the Order of St John in what are today known as ‘The Three Cities’.

Admission is free, but pre-booking is required. Tickets are available online here and from all Heritage Malta museums and sites. A reception will follow the launch.

The post Sea, Walls & Souls: A Social History of Birgu, Bormla and Isla 1530-1630 by Rachel Grillo – Book Launch  appeared first on Heritage Malta.

Join us early in the morning of Saturday 20th or Sunday 21st December to watch the sunrise from this unique Neolithic megalithic site. On this shortest day of the year, see how the south structure of the site, built during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC, was expertly configured to have the first rays of the sun mark the first day of each season.

During sunrise, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the sun’s rays illuminating the very edge of a decorated megalith found to the right of the passage connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner chambers.

The community of the Neolithic period was an agricultural one, for whom the marking of the changing seasons was crucial. Without official calendars, such alignments might have been an effective way to mark the changing seasons. Being that most probably these megalithic structures were very important to the community, one cannot exclude the fact that the winter solstice was a time for gatherings and celebrations.

In a bid to provide an enhanced experience for visitors, Heritage Malta is offering limited places to experience this phenomenon. Interested parties can purchase their tickets from all Heritage Malta museums and sites, or online from Heritage Malta’s website here for the price of €35 per person and €25 for Heritage Malta members.

Participants will meet at the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Visitor Centre at 6.15am.

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The post (FULLY BOOKED) Winter solstice – Mnajdra appeared first on Heritage Malta.