Nov 25, 2009 – Senglea Velette, Malta – DV / Photolibrary

• What earned this country the first George Cross ever given to a nation?
  Heroism and devotion
• Want to see one of Europe’s favorite holiday spots?
  Just look at all that blue
• These islands were once a haven for the physically and mentally ill throughout the western world.
  All because of these guys
• With a landscape like this, it’s no wonder this is one of the world’s most densely populated places.
  Where is it?

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta and the city proper has a population of 6,315.

Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller). The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

The city is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Città Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains and ravelins along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches, led the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima — ‘Most Proud’.