Throughout the month of August The National Museum of Fine Arts will be the venue of another Heritage Malta exhibition organised jointly with and curated by ARCstudio. The exhibition entitled Bichi: Views from the Villa will discuss the history of Villa Bichi through the ages, its function and its strategic location overlooking Malta's Grand harbour.

Amongst the items featuring in this exhibition will be a number of maps from the newly acquired Albert Ganado map collection, a model of the villa, paintings from the National Collection, documents from the National Library and other artefacts connected to the history, architecture and function of the Villa.

Villa Bichi, a country villa on Salvatore Hill between Rinella Bay and Kalkara Creek, was commissioned by Fra Giovanni Bichi in 1675. It was probably designed by the noted Maltese baroque architect Lorenzo Gafa'. In 1800, the Villa passed into the hands of the Civil Government and later in 1829, through a direct order given by Lord Nelson himself, it was converted into a major Naval hospital.

The building underwent various transformations under the supervision of three architects, who created an ensemble of architectural styles, all complimenting the original Baroque features. years and will now be of greater help to those carrying out research on various aspects of Malta's historical development including topography, demography and urban development. The opportunity to study these maps and related documents is now guaranteed to future generations.

The exhibition is now underway and will run until the 7th of September at the Museum of Fine Arts. Entrance is free. Opening times are Monday to Friday from 9:00am till 5:00pm (Last Admission is 4:30pm).