Siġġiewi – Siggiewi - ETO - European tourism organization

Siggiewi, also known as Città Ferdinand, is a village in the South West part of Malta. The town is built on a plateau 10km away from Valletta, and has a population of around 9000 people, who in the past were mostly farmers working in the agricultural areas that surround the village.

Siggiewi was already established in the 14th century, and on December 30th 1797 it was established as a city by the Grandmaster Ferdinand Von Hompesch who christened the city as „Città Ferdinand“.

The feast dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of June. During this time, the Church and streets are decorated and band clubs march along the roads, playing cheerful music, accompanied by aerial and ground fireworks.

Things to do and see

Church of St Nicholas, Siġġiewi - Wikipedia

Siġġiewi Parish Church

The original parish church of Siggiewi was built in 1436 but as hardly anything of it remained, a new church was built and dedicated to St. Nicolas of Bari. In 1862 Dr. Nikol Zammit draw up plans for the church and it was enlarged.

Parish priest: Rev Albert Buhagiar.

The great baroque parish church, dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari was constructed by the villagers who raised money themselves between 1676 and 1693. It was designed by the Maltese architect, Lorenzo Gafà but the portico and naves were added in the second half of the 19th century. The titular painting is by the famous Mattia Preti, while the titular statue was crafted by Pietro Felici in 1736. The same sculptor created the stone statue that still stands in the central square of the Siggiewi.

Verdala Palace

The Verdala Palace is the official summer residence of the President of Malta. It was built by Grandmaster de Verdalle in 1586 on a site surrounding the woodland of Buskett, which was used by the Knights for game hunting.The Verdala Palace is surrounded by a stone ditch, and was embellished by several grandmasters over the years.The building is spread over two floors and at each corner, there are towers five storeys high.

During the French rule, the palace was used as a military prison and was largely abandoned after that. Verdala Palace was later restored by Sir William Reid in 1858 and it became the official summer residence of the British Governors.

The Verdala Palace has been the official summer residence of the President of Malta since 1987 and is generally closed to the public except for the annual Ball of the August moon held in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.

Ghar Lapsi - Picture of Ghar Lapsi, Island of Malta - Tripadvisor

Ghar Lapsi beach

Ghar Lapsi beach is a unique and hidden little bay with a view over Filfla, situated around 1 km away from the popular Blue Grotto. Ghar Lapsi and its rocky shoreline form a natural swimming pool with crystal clear and fantastic azure blue/green waters perfect for snorkelling.

Ghar Lapsi Cave leads out into the deep open sea and is an excellent dive with fantastic visibility that allows for great underwater photography. Since Ghar Lapsi is very beautiful and a naturally protected area, it is very popular with locals who come here for a short swim and dive into the deep waters from the surrounding rocks.

There is no extended space for sun bathing, apart from a few small areas of flat rock, so this cove is not very popular with tourists. Ghar Lapsi’s surrounding terrain and coastline are ideal for walking during the winter months and offer excellent spots for rock climbing. Ghar Lapsi Bay and Cave are reached by a winding road from just outside Siggiewi.

Take a walk: Siggiewi is surrounded with beautiful countryside. Take a walk towards Fawwara, Girgenti or the famous Laferla Cross built on the hill.

Siġġiewi – Siggiewi

Things to do and see

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