Valletta Private Walking Tour: Sins in the City
Valletta, Malta
Trip Type: Walking Tours
Duration: 2 hours
Join the sins in the city tour to see Valletta in a new light and learn an uncensored version of history that you will not find in the guide books.
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Join the sins in the city tour to see Valletta in a new light and learn an uncensored version of history that you will not find in the guide books.
Lust, gluttony, greed, envy, pride and all sorts of other sins might sound like the basis of a soap opera, but they can also be easily associated with the Knights of St. John, once the Order started going into decline. Its finances, its military prowess and even its morals crumbled through the decades, relegating the Golden Age of Malta under the Knights to a faint memory of the past.
This process is perhaps best reflected in the lives led by some of the Grand Masters. The monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience where quickly replaced. Poverty was expressed in the lavish palaces and impressive baroque architecture which adorns the city to this day. Chastity was replaced by mistresses and courtesans, and eventually, by illegitimate offspring. Obedience became useful only when it was time to overthrow an old Grand Master from his throne.
The truth is that in later years, when the Holy War against the Ottoman empire finished and there was no scope for crusades, many knights did not have the vocation, or lost it as soon as they arrived in Valletta - a city full of temptations. Many of them succumbed, young and old alike, spending their free time gambling, dueling and chasing prostitutes.
Join this tour to discover Valletta's uncensored version of history that you will not find in the guide books.
Lust, gluttony, greed, envy, pride and all sorts of other sins might sound like the basis of a soap opera, but they can also be easily associated with the Knights of St. John, once the Order started going into decline. Its finances, its military prowess and even its morals crumbled through the decades, relegating the Golden Age of Malta under the Knights to a faint memory of the past.
This process is perhaps best reflected in the lives led by some of the Grand Masters. The monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience where quickly replaced. Poverty was expressed in the lavish palaces and impressive baroque architecture which adorns the city to this day. Chastity was replaced by mistresses and courtesans, and eventually, by illegitimate offspring. Obedience became useful only when it was time to overthrow an old Grand Master from his throne.
The truth is that in later years, when the Holy War against the Ottoman empire finished and there was no scope for crusades, many knights did not have the vocation, or lost it as soon as they arrived in Valletta - a city full of temptations. Many of them succumbed, young and old alike, spending their free time gambling, dueling and chasing prostitutes.
Join this tour to discover Valletta's uncensored version of history that you will not find in the guide books.
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