In the bustling town of St Julian’s, there are a few unexpected places, offering quietness and solitude, for those, who seek something other in the context of the current Maltese architectural landscape. One of those, built in the 17^th century by Fra Paolo Rafel Spinola, a knight of the Order of St. John, is Spinola Palace. 

As you enter through the main or the side gate into the enclosed back garden, you suddenly find yourself encircled by a little bit of greenery, wooden benches and fountains, which, in the context of St. Julian’s density, is something of a great value already. You notice people sitting under the trees and enjoying a moment with their friends from the business of the town outside the palace walls and realise that villas and, especially their courtyards and gardens could be utilised for the public use in the most densely urbanised areas where public parks and gardens are scarce and far in between.

However, some of the most distinguished historical examples of the 19^th century architecture such as Villa Bonici among many others with remarkable gardens and courtyards – despite the constant neglect throughout the years – stand and witness how unwillingness and lack of courage to preserve something of a much greater significance then a group of high-raise apartment buildings/offices combined are erasing important parts from Malta’s history.

Built in the 19^th century by Emanuele Testaferrata Bonici Ghaxaq, Villa Bonici served as a countryside residence for his family, owning it until this day. Besides the building itself, it had a separate farmhouse and terrace gardens surrounded by a wall of arches by the waterfront. Unfortunately, in comparison with Spinola Palace, the Villa Bonici is in a dilapidated state with little recalling the times it being a countryside residence of an aristocratic family. And although, the villa has been scheduled as Grade 2 by Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) back in 2010, which means it is considered as of having a historical and architectonical value, little has been done to preserve this place from falling apart from stagnation.

The similar scenario took place with Villa Guardamangia that was left in a dilapidated state for years until the Government of Malta bought it back in 2019. As Villa Bonici, Villa Guardamangia was scheduled as Grade 2 monument; nonetheless, nothing was done prior the transition of the ownership, creating a parallel assumption that the private owners of Villa Bonici as the previous ones of Villa Guardamangia are simply waiting for the building to fall apart and then, justify its demolition in order to sell and redevelop it into one of the high-raise apartment/office buildings as has happened with the late 19^th century vernacular townhouse in Sliema which now, only the niche of the Assumption of Our Lady and the old photographs recall being there.

First and foremost, preserving and restoring instead of blind demolishing is a sign of environment responsibility, considering that each construction is an investment of resources, labour and time above other things: ‘Old structures and historic spaces often present the human scale of history. Their design and construction tell us much about the cultures that created them and about the traditions and events from which our society grew.’ By simply demolishing a building with historical value, all the above is thrown away and, more importantly, erased from the architectural landscape. By preserving and investing in heritage, it is possible to constrain environmental effects in the densely urbanised areas such as energy consumption, preservation of resources and environmental degradation. By safeguarding the historic cores of towns and encouraging reinvestment in them, many adverse effects of growth can be greatly reduced.

And it is not only Villa Bonici at risk but, also and maybe more importantly, the open space of 11,500 square metres that has a potential with the right project and investment turn into one of the biggest public parks in one of the most highly urbanised areas of the island. And considering the density and lack of greenery, such places are of a great if not greater value, then the buildings they accompany.

By preserving such places as Villa Bonici, the local community not only protects a piece of their heritage, which helps to better understand why people in Malta are, the way they are, but also retains a valuable connection with the past and fosters, by knowing the history of the community and its historical sites, a sense of belonging. 

What gives hope even if Villa Bonici follows the path of the vernacular townhouse in Sliema, that there are people who cares about the heritage and, essentially, their actions make a difference as in the case of Villa Frere in Pieta that is currently under the control of Heritage Malta and NGO Friends of Villa Frere that are promoting, organising public tours, running-and-operating the villa and its gardens. Or in the case of Villa Drago, which, as well, was standing in the middle of Sliema with little attention given for years, but recently, received a proposal to be restored by the local architect Martin Xuereb who wishes to make it ‘an anchor to Sliema and what Sliema was about’. And these are just a few fine examples of the people who are willing to ‘injecting life into something that will otherwise disappear’ and embrace rather than erase the past because ‘many people enjoy a deep fascination with the sites where history took place, as well as with the stories they can directly experience by visiting these historic sites.’ If that was not true, then tourism wouldn’t be one of the main income sources of the island.

As outlined by UNESCO: ‘Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.’ Unfortunately, there are many examples and not only including villas like Villa Bonici, Villa Sans Souci, Villa St. Ignatius and Villa Mystique among others that are in a depilated state, revealing the values and priorities that tend to praise high-rise apartment/office buildings instead of those, having historical and architectural value despite the fact that the latter is one of the main power vehicles, turning the local economy forward. And by injecting life into these abandoned villas, the local community will revert the notion that if there is little respect for the past, expect less for the present and almost none for the future.