Trees do the work first. After the dry terraces and stone walls of the Maltese interior, the Buskett woodland comes as a surprise, and somewhere in the middle of it a squat fortified building sits behind its ditch: Verdala Palace.
A fortified hunting lodge
The palace dates from 1586. Grand Master Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle had it built to a design by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar, and it took the form of a fortified hunting lodge, with towers at the corners and a ditch around it. The shape sits somewhere between a castle and a villa, with defensive elements that were as much about prestige as protection.
Cassar was the leading architect of the Order’s building programme in Malta, and his name is attached to many of the island’s sixteenth-century works. Verdala shows his work in a rural setting, away from the fortified cities.
Retreat of rulers
Over the centuries the palace served as a summer retreat. The Grand Masters came here to escape the heat of the coast, and later British governors used it in the same way. The woodland around it, one of the few substantial wooded areas on the islands, made it a natural place for hunting and rest.
Today it is one of the official residences of the President of Malta and is used for state functions. That explains why it is closed most of the year: it is a working building, not a museum.
Seeing it
The palace opens to the public only on selected occasions. For most visitors, the practical way to see it is from outside, from the woodland that surrounds it. Even from there the proportions are clear: a compact, square block with towers at the corners, set low in its ditch and framed by trees.
If an open day is announced, take it. The interior is rarely seen, and a visit gives a chance to look at the rooms that served rulers for centuries. Check local announcements, as dates change from year to year and there is no standing timetable.
The woodland
Buskett is a good reason to come in its own right. The woodland offers shade and a change of atmosphere, with winding paths, old trees and cooler air than on the open plateau. In spring the ground is green, and in summer the shade is the main attraction.
Families come for picnics, and walkers use the paths. Bring water, wear shoes you do not mind getting dusty, and keep to the paths. The woods can be busy on weekends and during local events, so a weekday morning is calmer.
Around the western interior
The palace is a natural stop on a day in the west. Buskett Gardens are close, and the Dingli Cliffs, the highest point on the island, are a short drive away. Clapham Junction, the site of the mysterious cart ruts, lies nearby too. Rabat and Mdina, with their catacombs and walled streets, are the obvious pairing for the afternoon.
If you travel by public transport, expect to rely on a bus to Rabat or Siggiewi and then a taxi or a walk, since the palace is not on a main road. A car makes the day easier, and parking near the woodland is usually simpler on weekdays.
Reading the building
Look at the ditch and the corner towers, and then ask what they were for. A Grand Master did not need a moat to hunt in the woods, but he did need to show who he was. Verdala is part lodge and part statement, and the defensive details are the language of rank. The lack of any siege in its history only underlines the point.
It helps to know that the palace stands in rural ground that was once a Grand Master’s hunting estate. Imagine the same woods without paths, the lodge as the only stone building for a long way, and the scale makes sense.
Practical points
Do not count on being able to enter; treat the visit as a look at an important building from outside and a walk in the woods. Bring a camera for the façade framed by trees. Light is best in the morning, when the sun picks out the stone through the foliage.
Wear comfortable shoes and carry water, since few facilities are close. Combine the palace with a lunch in Rabat or Siggiewi, and plan the cliffs for the late afternoon when the western light is at its best.
