Floriana
Distance to the Port
20 min.
Outside the capital's walls and sheltered inside its own bastions, Floriana has been overlooked during the post-World War II years, but that is quickly changing. Floriana has its generous share of history, culture and green spaces, with an impressive count of 15 gardens. With just 2,500 inhabitants, Floriana offers an interesting walk through history including places like the dominant parish church dedicated to St. Publius and the peaceful Friary of the Capuchin Fathers to the granaries, which are the largest square on the islands, Sarria Chapel, buildings basking in the view of Grand Harbour, and Floriana's 15 gardens which occupy almost half of the town's area.
Floriana was built between 1634 and 1721 by Grandmaster Antoine De Paule under the direction of Italian military engineer Pietro Paolo Floriani. Then in 1724, the area between the Floriana Lines and Valletta began to be built up, when Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena founded the suburb Borgo Vilhena.
