Valletta Gossip Tour

Lust, gluttony, greed, envy, pride and all sorts of sins are not the basis of a soap opera but they can be easily associated to the Knights of Malta, when the Order went into decline. Its finances, its military prowess and even its morals degraded through the decades relegating the Golden Age of Malta under the Knights to a faint memory of the past.

This process is perhaps best reflected in the lives led by some of the Grand Masters. The monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience were quickly replaced. "Poverty" was expressed in the lavish palaces and impressive Baroque architecture which adorns the city of Valletta till this day. Chastity was replaced by orgies and occasionally, by illegitimate offsprings. Obedience became useful only when it was time to overthrow an old Grandmaster from his throne.

The truth is that in later years, when the Holy War against the Ottoman empire finished and there was no scope for crusades, many knights did not have any vocation or lost it as soon as they arrived in Valletta, a city full of temptations. Many of them succumbed, young and old alike, spending their free time gambling, duelling and chasing prostitutes.

Join our Gossip Valletta Tour to imagine Valletta in a new light and learn an uncensored version of history that you will not find in the guide books.