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Villa Bologna was commissioned by Fabrizio Grech in 1745, at the height of the Baroque period in Malta, contemporary with the Auberge de Castille in Valletta and Selmun Palace in Mellieħa.
At the time, Malta was in the hands of the Sovereign Military Order of St John and ruled over by the Portuguese Grand Master Manoel Pinto de Vilhena. Fabrizio Grech occupied the powerful position of ‘Uditore’ or legal adviser who became one of the Grand Master’s closest confidantes and accumulated great wealth.
His daughter, Maria Teresa, married Nicola Perdicomati Bologna, eldest son of the first Count de La Catena. When the marriage was announced, society mocked the Uditore for having wealth but no class and not even a decent family home. Not one to be snubbed, Fabrizio Grech built Villa Bologna to give to his daughter as a wedding present. He certainly succeeded: classified as a Grade 1 National Monument, Villa Bologna is as impressive now as it must have been when it was built in the 1740s. The main palazzo and Baroque garden date from this early period.
The second important phase in the development of Villa Bologna came in the 1920s. By then Villa Bologna had been inherited by Lord Strickland, one of Malta’s first Prime Ministers and a dominant figure in Maltese politics in the first half of the 20th century. A descendant of Nicola Perdicomati Bologna through his mother’s line, Strickland’s first wife, Lady Edeline, died in 1915 and in 1926 he married Margaret Hulton, an English publishing heiress. She became the second Lady Strickland and spent her time between Sizergh Castle in England, her house in Holland Park in London and Villa Bologna in Malta. She was a very keen gardener and immediately set about designing a new garden at the back of the villa. Inspired by Villa Frere in Malta and La Mortola in Italy, these ‘new gardens’ are a magical combination of Italian elegance and English restraint.
The Villa is now the home of Gerald de Trafford, Lord Strickland’s grandson. In 2009 his son, Jasper de Trafford, moved back to Malta to take over the management of the estate.
Visiting Villa Bologna
Since opening its doors to the public, Villa Bologna has become a popular destination for garden lovers and tourists with an interest in Malta’s rich cultural history. Entrance to the gardens is through the pottery shop, housed in the Villa’s old stables at the far end of the garden (next door to San Anton Palace). This is Malta’s oldest working pottery where every piece is hand-made and hand painted.
From the shop visitors can pick up a booklet with a map and information on the history of the Villa and the colourful characters who lived there, including Lord Strickland, one of Malta’s early Prime Ministers, and his politician daughter Mabel Strickland who ran Malta’s leading newspaper for half a century.
Once within the Villa’s walls you will discover a world far removed from the bustle of Malta’s tourist traffic. Take your time wandering through the Villa’s sprawling gardens through centuries-old citrus orchards and past majestic fountains and luscious lawns. Discover the vegetable garden, cactus garden and sunken pond or delve underground into the family’s private air raid shelter, hewn from the rock on the eve of the World War II.
Villa Bologna is located in the historic village of Attard, in the geographic centre of Malta. It can be reach very easily by public transport or by the ‘hop on hop off’ tourist buses. The Villa is in San Anton Street, across the road from the Presidential Palace of San Anton and adjacent to the President’s Kitchen Garden.
Reasons to Visit:
– The most beautiful and varied garden in Malta.
– Full of historic features such as the villa’s Baroque architecture and garden with its grand gate, nympheum, and Dolphin Fountain.
– Enjoy the orange garden, as well as the upper and lower vegetable gardens, the cypress walk and the cactus garden.
– Visit Malta’s oldest pottery where each piece is hand-made and hand painted.
– Midway between Valletta and Mdina, Villa Bologna – in the pretty village of Attard – is a great rest-stop on your tour to other parts of the island.
Opening Hours
Mon – Fri : 9am to 5pm
Sat : 9am to 1pm
Entry Fee:
Standard Entry Fee : €6
Pensioners (with valid identification) : €4
Students (with a valid student ID card) : €4
Children under 12 (accompanied by an adult) : FREE
Prices for private guided tours or group tours available on request.
Nearby Attractions:
– Sant Anton Gardens: Part of the President’s palace, Sant Anton gardens offer pretty walkways under mature, exotic trees with unique sculptures, fountains and ponds in every corner.
– The Kitchen Gardens provide San Anton Palace with fresh produce as well as offering a cafe, a safe playground for young children and a petting zoo – a great family attraction.
The ‘Three Villages’ known for their narrow streets bounded by old palazzo walls and fragrant gardens:
– Attard: Built between 1613 and 1624, Attard’s parish church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary is attributed to the architect Tommaso Dingli and is regarded as the finest Renaissance church in Malta.
– Balzan: although small in size, this village’s charms include the architecture of its old townhouses, the Church of the Annunciation with its fine square, the chapels of Three Churches Street and the Wignacourt Aqueduct.
– Lija has several grand old houses of character and large citrus gardens. Besides the parish church dedicated to Our Saviour, Lija Belvedere Tower and Villa Francica are main attractions.
Buses to Villa Bologna
Arriva bus numbers 54 and 106 stop at the start of our road, just a few minutes’ walk from the Villa. Alternatively, the X3 between Bugibba and the Airport stops in front of San Anton Gardens, a five-minute walk away.
The Malta Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours also stop very nearby. To book, visit www.maltasightseeing.com and click on the ‘North/Blue Tour’.
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