Until the arrival of the Knights of St. John, Mount Sceberras, on which Valletta stands, lying between two natural harbours, was an arid tongue of land. No building stood on its bare rocks except for a small watch tower. The new city, with its strong bastions and deep moats, became an impregnable bulwark of great strategic importance and a sail in the Grand Harbour is the best way to view the city. St. John's Co-Cathedral is quite stunning and perhaps Valetta's centerpiece.

St. Paul's Bay
Until the advent of modem transport in the 1920's, St. Paul's Bay was a pleasant fishing village on the southern shore of the wide bay which runs inland for more than 3kms. Here, the Apostle was shipwrecked and commented on the Islands warm hospitality.