<the building of valletta>
The foundation of the new city, which was named after the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette, took place on March 28, 1566. The Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli, who had already assisted Michelangelo with some projects in Rome, was in charge of the design of the new city. His plan consisted of a geometrical street pattern with a straight main road, which was to be the main axis in the middle of the town. All the other streets were to run parallel or in right angles to this road. Due to the limited size of the peninsula (0.6 km wide and 1 km long), all streets are very narrow, and the blocks are quite small. First, the fortification ring was erected to protect the island in case of another attack by the Turks.
street map of valletta
It was not until 1571, the year when the Turks were beaten in a fight at Lepanto, that the first houses were built in the new city. Among these were - as in Birgu - the Convent Church, the Grandmaster Palace, the Auberges and the Hospital of the Order. The Knights of St. John looked for a competent architect to design these buildings. The Maltese military engineer Gerolamo Cassar as finally given the order to do this job.
