Explore the halls, chapel, grand rooms and underground bomb shelter of Casa Rocca Piccola. This privately owned home of a Maltese aristocratic family is a 16th-century palace that is open for tours. See works of art, furniture and clothes that are hundreds of years old.
The grand residence has more than 50 rooms and most of them you will see on a guided tour which take place in English.
Go to the Porphyry Room to look at its original wooden ceiling. Here, you will also see a large collection of family portraits. Inside the Blue Room, find silver surgical instruments from the 18th century and antique Maltese silverware. Walk through the two lavish dining rooms, one of which is open in the summer while the other is used in the winter months.
Visit the chapel to view chalices, a silver statuette presented to Pope Leo XIII and 18th-century paintings of saints. In the Cabinet Room, marvel at one of the home's most treasured possessions: a gilded sedan chair belonging to an 18th-century French Knight of Malta. Examine the chair to find the knight’s coat of arms.
As you walk up the staircase, pause to appreciate the murals by Maltese artist Ramiro Calì. Step into the Four-Poster Bedroom that contains an antique bed and an 18th-century chamber pot and shaving bowl.
One of the highlights of the tour around Casa Rocca Piccola is its World War II underground bomb shelters. Walk through the subterranean network of tunnels that were cut into rock and capable of housing more than 100 people.
The house is open every day except Sunday, from morning until late afternoon. Admission charges apply and tours take place on the hour. There are discounts for students. Children under the age of 14 get in for free.
Find Casa Rocca Piccola next to the Embassy Shopping Centre on Valletta’s main street. Buses stop at the bus terminus, a 5-minute walk away. If you are driving, use the multistory car park at the terminus.
