Look at it from the wrong side and the four letters make no sense. Look at the water below and the word reads correctly. The Love Monument at Spinola Bay in St Julian’s is a small piece of visual play that works best when you stop and let your eyes adjust.
What the sculpture does
The LOVE sign is a statue on Spinola Bay in the centre of St Julian’s. It was created by the Maltese artist Richard England. The letters are inverted, so that the word can be read upright in its reflection in the water and in the monument’s shadow at certain hours. In other words, the artwork is not only the metal or stone you stand beside, but also the image it throws.
That idea makes the Love Monument more than a letter-shaped photo prop. It rewards a second look, and it changes with the light, the tide of visitors and the state of the water. On a still morning the reflection can be crisp; on a windy afternoon it breaks up into ripples.
Spinola Bay
The setting matters. Spinola Bay is a small, enclosed inlet with traditional Maltese boats, rows of restaurants and a promenade where locals walk in the evening. It sits in the middle of St Julian’s, between the quieter side near Balluta Bay and the livelier streets of Paceville.
The bay is a good place to sit for a while. The water is usually calm, and the colourful boats add to the picture. Cafés and restaurants line the edge, and most of them put tables out in good weather.
How to see it properly
Stand in front first and take in the shape. Then walk around it and look at how the shadow falls. Finally look at the water, ideally from an angle where the reflection is clear, and read the word. If the light is flat, come back at another time of day, because the effect changes with the sun’s position.
Photographers will find that low sun gives the strongest contrast. Early morning is usually the calmest time on the water, while the evening light adds warmth to the stonework around the bay.
A short art walk
Once you have seen the monument, the Sliema promenade is a short walk away along the coast. There you will find the colourful cat sculpture in Independence Garden, so the two form a natural pair for anyone who enjoys public art. Balluta Bay lies in the other direction and offers a small beach, a church with a striking façade and more places to eat.
A walk that takes in Spinola Bay, Balluta Bay and the Sliema seafront can fill a pleasant half-day without using a car.
Why the idea works
Public sculpture in a busy seafront town has to compete with traffic, signs and the sea. A reversed word is a clever answer to that, because it asks for attention without shouting. A visitor who walks past without stopping sees only odd letters; one who pauses is rewarded with the corrected image.
It also gives the monument a different life at different hours. In morning light the shadow falls one way, in the evening another, and the word may read clearly in one and not at all in the other. That is a good reason to visit more than once if you are staying in St Julian’s for several days.
If you are travelling with children, turn it into a small game: ask them to find the angle at which the word becomes readable. Younger visitors often work it out faster than adults, and the exercise keeps the stop from being a quick snapshot.
Practical points
The monument is in a public area, so there is no admission and no opening time. The pavements are flat and good for pushchairs. Evenings can be busy because the restaurants fill, and the area is noisy on weekend nights thanks to the nearby entertainment district. For a calmer visit, go in the morning.
Parking in St Julian’s is hard to find at busy times, so buses or walking are the easier choices. Bring a hat in summer; the promenade has only patchy shade.
Making a visit of it
The best way to use Spinola Bay is to arrive in the late afternoon, look at the sculpture, take a slow walk around the water, and settle at a table as the light changes. Dinner here is a common choice for visitors and residents alike, though reservations are wise in high season.
If you are staying nearby, return after dark, when the lighting shifts and the bay takes on a different mood. Then compare the daytime reflection with the evening one and decide which reading of the word you prefer.
