The Three Cities offer an intriguing insight into Malta and its history.  Left largely unvisited, the Three Cities are a slice of authentic life, and a glimpse into Malta's maritime fortunes. 

The Three Cities can rightly claim to be the cradle of Maltese history.  Vittoriosa and Senglea on rocky promontories jutting into Grand Harbour, and Cospicua at the end of the creek between, have provided a home and fortress to almost every people who settled here.

Their harbour inlets have been in use since Phoenician times: the docks always providing a living for local people, but also leaving them vulnerable when Malta's rulers were at war. As the first home to the Knights of St John , the Cities' palaces, churches, forts and bastions are far older than Valletta's. 

The local communities here celebrate holy days and festas as nowhere else on the Islands.  The most spectacular events are the Easter processions when statues of the "Risen Christ" are carried at a run through crowded streets. Another attraction is the Birgu Festival in October which re-enacts the arrival of the Knights on Malta in 1530.

Although renamed by the Knights to reflect their victory over the Ottoman Turks, the Cities are still called by their older names of Birgu, L'Isla and Bormla.  They are known as the ‘Cottonera' after the Grand Master Cottonerwho built their inland defences. Understanding this name game is all part of discovering a fascinating area of the Islands