when Unesco named Valletta a World Heritage Site, it described it as 'one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world
- Lonely Planet
It all started with a small watchtower standing on the barren Sciberras Peninsula until 1530. It continued with the development of the impressive structure of Fort St. Elmo in 1552. After the Great Siege of 1565, Jean De La Valette set out to build a fortified city with towering bastion walls, which would protect the island of Malta and give Valletta its unique skyline.