Birgu by Night

I'd been thinking about this shot all day. I'd visited Valletta's Upper Barrakka Gardens earlier on August 24th, 2024, to witness the noon cannon fire—the Saluting Battery has been firing cannons since the 16th century when the Knights of St. John used them to signal incoming ships. Massive sound, crowd loved it. Even then, with the sun high and the Mediterranean Sea shimmering, the view toward Birgu across Grand Harbour really caught my attention and I got curious about what it might look like once the lights came on.

Birgu—also called Vittoriosa—is one of the Three Cities that form the historic fortified area across from Valletta. It's where the Knights of St. John first settled in 1530 when they arrived in Malta, making it the original capital before Valletta was built. The prominent fortress you see is Fort St. Angelo, which dates back to medieval times and was the headquarters of the Knights during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. That's 460 years of history glowing in those honey-colored limestone walls.

So I went back after sunset, found a perfect spot in the Upper Barrakka Gardens, and just watched the place come alive as blue hour deepened. That golden glow from Birgu's limestone buildings—that distinctive Maltese honey-colored stone quarried from Malta's own globigerina limestone—the deep blue of Grand Harbour, reflections dancing across the water... it just clicked. The kind of moment that feels peaceful and powerful at the same time.

I shot a long exposure to smooth the harbour waters just enough to create those silky reflections while keeping the fortification walls and buildings sharp. Grand Harbour has been one of the Mediterranean's most important natural harbors for millennia—the Knights fortified it, the British used it extensively during WWII, and now it glows peacefully under the night sky.

The reflection of those lights across the harbour was the finishing touch. From Fort St. Angelo's imposing walls to the subtle movement in the water, it all felt like Malta was showing me a side of itself reserved for residents and those willing to stay and see it through. The warm golden tones of the 16th-century architecture against the cool blue Mediterranean evening—that's classic Malta.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that historical depth—standing in Valletta's Upper Barrakka Gardens watching Birgu glow across Grand Harbour, where the Knights of St. John first landed in 1530 and Fort St. Angelo stood strong during the 1565 Great Siege, all reflected in the waters of one of the Mediterranean's most storied harbours in Malta.