Maltese Architecture Part 2: Houses, Continued
In this article, we will finish up with the broad classifications of types of houses, focusing on villas, palazzos, palazzinos, farmhouses and boathouses.
Malta is home to some of the oldest structures in history. Since Neolithic times, people have been building temples and houses in Malta out of limestone, the same material used in houses today. Some of these temples stand today, such as the Ġgantija Temples in Gozo (some parts of which date from 3600 BC!), Ħaġar Qim in Qrendi and the Tarxien Temples.
It was in Tarxien Temples that this famous “fat lady” statue was discovered. Statues of the ancient fertility goddess were found in several temples, and many are now preserved in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.
If you’d like to read more about prehistoric underground structures in Malta, check out our article Malta’s the Perfect Place for Secret Underground Spaces.
It’s not uncommon to find houses for sale that are 400 years old, or even older. These can be found in various states of disrepair, from what I think of as “golden-hued piles of rock” up to places that have been expertly converted into family homes or guesthouses. In between are the places that suffered a conversion in the 1970s or 1980s.
Villas, palazzos, palazzinos and farmhouses can number amongst these historic residences. Boathouses less so, but we will come to those at the end.
5. Villa
A villa in Malta is an upmarket property, most often semi-detached if not fully detached. They are usually at least over two floors, and they often have a garden or swimming pool or both. Most are finished to very high specifications.
Villas can be any age, from ancient to newly built. The designation has more to do with a property’s size, quality and amenities than its age.
The most famous villa in Malta is Villa Guardamangia, built in the middle of the 18th century and home of Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) and Prince Philip when they lived in Malta from 1949 to 1951. The villa was recently purchased by Malta’s government and entrusted to the care of Heritage Malta, the body responsible for preserving Malta’s historic structures. The residence had fallen into severe disrepair, and the good people at Heritage Malta intend to carefully restore it to its former glory.
Modern examples of villas are more easily purchased these days than 18th-century ones, although they remain amongst the rarest of house types.
6. Palazzo and Palazzino
Palazzos are inherently historic. A period property, typically found in our old towns and villages, these properties are characterised by their large number of rooms (often more than twelve), features such as double staircases (a main staircase and one for use by the live-in help) and a special floor known as the piano nobile, which hosts a large room with high ceilings used to entertain. Palazzos usually have large gardens, except in Valletta where land came at too high a cost.
Palazzo Parisio is the best-known palazzo in Malta. Found next to the cathedral in Naxxar, it is a grand building with an elaborate ballroom and extensive landscaped gardens. It is a popular tourist destination, wedding venue and lunch spot for the well-heeled.
The Palazzo Parisio was used as a filming site for the 2002 film Count of Monte Cristo, in which the palace doubled as a French chateau.
A palazzino is simply a smaller palazzo. Of a significantly smaller scale than Palazzo Parisio is this palazzino for sale in Zejtun, Malta.
At 366 square metres, it is no small dwelling, but it could easily fit inside of some of the larger palazzos.
This 400-year-old property has two storeys above ground and two storeys beneath. Although it is structurally sound, it needs some restoration work before it can be lived in.
With a double-fronted facade, beautifully original tiled floors, a large garden and two staircases, this will make a grand home or venue once it has been restored.
A previous restoration has left some rooms with some more *ahem* exuberant decorations than is really fitting for such an elegant property, but these can be easily stripped out by the new owners.
Read more about this 400-year old palazzino in Zejtun, Malta, for sale through Curbsy for €794,251.
7. Farmhouse
For the non-Maltese, “farmhouse” brings to mind a plain country house with a barn nearby, set in the countryside with surrounding fields and pastures.
In Malta, farmhouses are quite different. An old dwelling, most often older than 100 years, these are found only in old villages and rural areas of the island. These are typically laid out in an ‘L-shape’ and over two floors, creating an internal, south-facing courtyard.
Given how scarce land is in Malta, quite often animals were kept and fed on the ground floor, with the family living on the first floor and above. With this setup, the family also benefited from the body heat of the animals in the chilly wintertimes. There are often thick metal tethering rings hammered into the walls on the ground floor, used to keep animals from wandering.
This house in Zebbug was expertly converted in the past few years from a farmhouse to a modern family home. The glass mezzanine floor in this photo was originally a stone ledge, used by the previous owners to throw hay down to the cows below.
These days, farmhouses are considered luxury dwellings. Converted ones can run into the low millions, as can large, unconverted farmhouses in prime locations. With the more finished farmhouses, lines begin to blur between farmhouses and villas.
The photo above is of an unconverted farmhouse for sale in Victoria, Gozo. This property was used as a working farmhouse until very recently, so there is some conversion work required to bring it to modern standards. This courtyard, for example, could be left open or could be glassed over to increase the internal space and bring natural light into the core of the house.
The price is reflective of the size of the conversion project. At only €585,000, a great price for a property of this size in the island’s capital, the ambitious buyer may have the budget for a modern/rustic conversion that respects the heritage of the property whilst applying a modern sensibility to the design. Read more and see more photos of this farmhouse for sale in Victoria, Gozo.
8. Boathouse
A boathouse is a building specially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. In Malta, however, they are often used as tiny holiday homes.
Characteristics shared by boathouses in Malta: they are very small, often just a single room, they are no more than one storey and they are next to the water. Boats may or may not be nearby.
Controversially, boathouses in Malta can sometimes be… less than legal. Travelling along the coastline, you will often see small, single-storey blocks, really no larger than a single room, that look like they’ve been erected just from stones nearby or basic building materials from the hardware store. And sometimes that is the case.
However, legitimate boathouses with permits do also exist and can be found for sale through private individuals or, rarely, through an estate agency. They are too small to be lived in year-round, but if you spend your summers at the beach, they just might be a perfect little second home for you.
And thus ends our second article on the different types of homes in Malta. Our next instalment covers apartments.
