Project Description
Francesco Laparelli’s original design of Valletta consisted of a bastioned land front with two cavaliers separated from the mainland by a deep ditch. Although varying in time, the ditch approximately measures 12.5 meters in depth and from 12.5 meters to 25 meters wide in certain locations and cuts across from Marsamxett Harbour to Grand Harbour. The ditch served as a final deterrent to stop any invading enemy from directly reaching the city’s walls but was never tested in battle.
From 1883 to 1931 The Malta Railway was the only railway line ever on the island and it consisted of a single railway line from Valletta to Mdina. The ditch was spanned with a bridge at a lower level to connect the railway tunnel running under Floriana and ending at the underground station in Valletta beneath Kingsway.
During the Second World War, various galleries and rooms were excavated in the live rock to create shelters and spaced where many residents from Valletta took refuge during the relentless air-raids by the axis powers. In time, most of the entire length of the ditch served as a car park, including a ramp leading to the old railway tunnel which also served the same purpose.
The upgrading of the ditch was also included as part of the Project for City Gate and was planned to serve as part car-park and part a garden which did not materialise according to the original plans. Instead, the stretch of the ditch from the spur of St John’s Bastion to the spur of St James’ Bastion was chosen for the new garden.
In 2017 under the management of the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC), the ditch was redesigned with access through a stairway within the walls and an exterior, panoramic elevator to provide the experience of the depth of the ditch and leads to the garden below. Other than the garden’s atmosphere, the ditch provides for relaxing activities and the dramatic scenery for spectacular outdoor events and performances.
Named Ġnien Laparelli (Laparelli Garden) as a tribute Italian architect Francesco Laparelli, who was commissioned by Pope Pius V to design Valletta following the Great Siege of 1565. The design of the ditch respects the fortifications sequences is divided into various zones that create a balance between green and open spaces where the public may appreciate the fortifications both from the ditch and also from Tritons square and from Valletta’s entrance. Other to its unique design, the ditch contains around 2,500m2 of paved ground, 47 indigenous trees, 4,400 indigenous shrubs and recreation facilities. Its total cost was €4.5M.
Il-Foss tal-Belt – Ġnien Laparelli
Id-disinn oriġinali tal-Belt Valletta ta’ Francesco Laparelli kien jikkonsisti b’swar mal-faċċata b’żewġ torrijiet kbar u separata mil-kumplament tal-art b’foss fond. Għalkemm varja fiż-żmien, bejn wieħed u ieħor il-foss hu madwar 12.5 metru fond u mal-12.5 metru sa 25 metru wiesa’ f’ċerti postijiet u jaqsam mill-Port ta’ Marsamxett sal-Port il-Kbir. Il-foss serva bħala laħħar deterrant biex iwaqqaf lil ghadu milli jilħaq is-swar tal-Belt, iżda qatt ma ġie ttestjat fil-battalja.
Mill-1883 sal-1931 Il-Malta Railway kienet l-unika linja tal-ferrovjarja li qatt kienet topera f’ Malta, u kienet tikkonsisti f’linja ferrovjarja waħda mill-Belt Valletta għall-Imdina. Il-foss kien mifrux b’pont f’livell aktar baxx biex jgħaqqad il-mina tal-ferrovija li tgħaddi taħt il-Furjana u tispiċċa fl-istazzjon ta’ taħt l-art il-Belt Valletta taħt Kingsway.
Matul it-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija, ġew skavati diversi passaġġi u kmamar fil-blat biex jinħolqu kenn u spazji fejn ħafna residenti mill-Belt Valletta staħbew u għexu waqt il-ħbit mil-ajru bla waqfien mill-poteri tal-assi. Maż-żmien, il-biċċa l-kbira tat-tul kollu tal-foss serva bħala parkeġġ, inkluż rampa li twassal għall-mina l-antika tal-ferrovija li kienet ukoll serviet għall-istess skop.
Ir-riabilitazzjoni tal-foss kien inkluż ukoll bħala parti mill-proġett ta’ Renzo Piano għal Bieb il-Belt u kien ippjanat li jservi parti ta’ parkeġġ u parti ta’ ġnien, imma ma seħħx skont il-pjanti oriġinali. Minflok, għall-ġnien il-ġdid intgħażlet il-medda tal-foss bejn l- tal-bastjuni ta’ San Ġwann sal-bastjun ta’ San Ġakbu. Il-foss ġie ddisinjat mill-ġdid b’aċċess permezz ta’ taraġ ġos-swar u lift panoramiku fuq barra biex jipprovdi l-esperjenza tal-fond tal-foss u jwassal għall-ġnien. Minbarra l-atmosfera tal-ġnien, il-foss jipprovdi għal attivitajiet rilassanti u xenarju drammatiku għal avvenimenti u wirjiet spettakolari fil-beraħ.
Mibdi fl-2017 taħt it-tmexxija tal-Korporazzjoni għar-Riġenerazzjoni tal-Port il-Kbir (GHRC), il-foss rivitalizzat tal-Belt Valletta ġie msemmi Ġnien Laparelli, bħala ġieħ lill-perit Taljan Francesco Laparelli, li kien ġie kkummissjonat mill-Papa Piju V biex jiddisinja l-Belt Valletta wara l-Assedju l-Kbir tal-1565. id-disinn tal-foss jirrispetta s-sekwenzi tal-fortifikazzjonijiet , u huwa maqsum f’diversi żoni li joħolqu bilanċ bejn spazji ħodor u miftuħin fejn il-pubbliku jista’ japprezza s-swar kemm mill-foss kif ukoll mill-Pjazza Tritoni u mid-daħla tal-Belt Valletta. Minbarra d-disinn uniku tiegħu, il-foss fih madwar 2,500 metru kubu ta’ art ippavimentata, 47 siġra indiġena, 4,400 arbuxelli indiġeni u faċilitajiet ta’ rikreazzjoni. L-ispiża totali tiegħu kienet tammonta għal €4.5M.
