Heritage Malta is organizing a Heritage Trail that will be focusing on Military and Naval aspects of 16th and 17th Century Malta. Participants will be visiting St Agatha’s Tower in Mellieha, the Cottonera bastions and the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa. The focus on this trail will be based on the defensive aspects introduced during the Knights of St John occupation of the Maltese islands with a special reference to the 16th and 17th Centuries. Visitors will observe a fortified tower guarding the north coastline of Malta, fortifications built after the great siege and the naval section in the Maritime Museum with its comprehensive artefacts belonging to this period.

St Agatha’s Tower, popularly known as the Red Tower, is a former Knight’s stronghold located in the north west of Malta. The seventeenth century tower offers views of the islands of Comino and Gozo.

St. Agatha’s Tower in Malta is similar in style to the Wignacourt towers, though it was completed in 1649 during the Grand Mastership of Juan de Lascaris-Castellar to a design by Antonio Garsin.

Coastal towers were built specifically to protect the island’s coastline from continuous attacks by corsairs and Turkish invasions.

The Cottonera Lines are a massive line of fortifications surrounding the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua. They were built during the magistracy of Grand Master Nicholas Cotoner (1663-1680) They were designed by Italian engineer Antonio Garsin

The Heritage Trail will continue at the Malta Maritime Museum where a lecture on ‘Naval History of the Knights’ will be delivered. The Heritage Trail will be held on Sunday 19th October 2008. Participants will be meeting in front of the Hotel Phoenicia at 8.45 hrs and will return to Valletta at around 13.00 hrs.

Tickets, costing €15 for the general public and €12 for Heritage Malta members, must be bought beforehand from the Heritage Malta Head Office in Merchants Street, Valletta. For booking and more information phone Heritage Malta on 2295 4312.