June 2019 Newsletter Issue Number 1
Arthritis and Rheumatism Association Malta
P O Box 55 Birkirkara Malta
Tel Nr: +35699259532
Email: aramalta@gmail.com
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Dear Reader
We are pleased to issue our first half-yearly newsletter for 2019.
In this edition you will find an overview of some of the activities held during the last six months, giving a special mention to our ‘Walk with Me’ project initiated by ARAM to stress the importance of exercise in patients suffering from RMD’s. This is the fourth year that ARAM qualified for this grant called ‘Small Initiatives Scheme’ administered by the Malta Council of Voluntary Services to finance the Voluntary Organisations to organise their activities for their members. In January 2019 we visited the silent city Mdina followed by a cultural trip to Palazzo Falson. In February we walked in the beautiful gardens of Buskett led by a local professional guide. In March we chose to be active by an orientation visit to Inspire Fitness Centre whereas in April we walked at Dingli Cliffs preceeded by a lecture about the Fauna and Flora at the Dingli Interpretation Centre. In the warm month of June, a group of twenty-six members were led by a professional guide to a visit in Vittoriosa, for a walk along the promenade leading to our visit at the Inquisitor’s Palace.
You may wish to read three articles about the different walks highlighted above, penned by members/carers who have attended our exercise programmes.
Enjoy reading!
Mary Vella
President, Arthritis and Rheumatism Association Malta
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The month of May, brought about a very interesting Educational Talk about new treatments for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis delivered by Dr Bernard Coleiro, while Prof Pierre Mallia spoke about Patients’ Rights. This was a very successful and highly attended event sponsored by Novartis
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Articles written by Mrs. Catherine Sammut, ARAM’s Treasurer
Buskett Gardens Walk with Me Event held on 13/2/2019
We had the first one today, 13 February, kissed by the rays of the sun which warmed us during our walk under a clear, blue, cloudless sky. The walks are being organised by ARAM, the association in Malta that works towards combating pain and discomfort caused by arthritis and rheumatism. These events become a success through the hard-working committee chaired by the industrious Ms. Mary Vella.
Today’s walk was inside the heavenly Buskett gardens. I reckon that we all know where Buskett gardens are in the neighbourhood of Had-Dingli; I assume that most of us have been there probably for the umpteenth time. However, after having heard the able guide we had, we tend to view Buskett gardens from a different perspective.
We started by meeting Mr. Ebejer, our clever guide just outside the gardens where he delivered a talk on Buskett in detail without being boring! In his relaxed way, very clearly and in fluent Maltese, he related a thorough history of Buskett as it was originally under the Knights of St John. The Knights had built it, but it was transformed under the British when the latter set foot on our islands to govern them; he also included the little changes that Buskett saw in recent times under Maltese authorities, while adding episodes from our local History which are somehow related to Buskett, knights and grandmasters!
Proceeding into the gardens themselves, we walked along the narrow passages in between trees, shrubs and wild plants. There, we not only noted the sheer beauty that mother nature graced our islands with, but we also learned things we had not known before, the like of what garigue is; we were made aware of its existence inside Buskett by viewing it. While we kept on walking, we were being given information about trees, shrubs and plants. We got to know that in tiny Malta there are hundreds of wild flowers growing, the number of which equals that growing in England, an island many and many times our island’s size! Also, now we know why cypress trees have been opted for in cemeteries. Actually, the scent of these trees conduces tranquility and it is only proper that mourners in a burial ground find some kind of tranquility bereaving a loved one!
Our clever and well-informed guide kept on delivering in a very interesting manner about the greenery we met along our way as we headed to Ir-Razzett tal-Għorof where we were made welcomed by the nice staff there. We were given a bite and a sip which we consumed heartily after the lovely walk. Then came a short film about falconry in Malta, cleverly explained by our guide who whetted our appetite to know more by his incidental episodes of Maltese History.
When one is feeling glad and satisfied, one does not even realise that time flies; and that is what happened to us all in the group! We were so happy having spent such a wonderful morning relaxing in a celestial environment, where besides internalising knowledge we made our joints loosen and get stronger for better mobility.
Valletta Walk with Me event held on 28th March 2019
It was meant to take place on 21 March, the first day of Spring, but we all know what inclement weather we experienced on that day! So, it had to be postponed and it was decided to attempt 28 March which proved to be a fine wonderful day!
We met by the Triton fountain; Neville, our clever guide, joined us. We started walking into our capital city, the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen, as Benjamin Disraeli would have it! There immediately came our first stop to learn about the structure of the bastions, the entrance to Valletta and the number of times it was changed, and the reason why it was not easy for the enemy to enter Valletta in the times of the Knights.
A short walk further in and we came to the recently-built House of Parliament. Even though most of us walk along in front of parliament so many times a year, we hardly ever notice interesting details like the walls built like those of a castle and the Piano staircases being narrower at the top, and so on. Once we were there, in that spot, it was obvious that we would admire one of the noble architectural building, Palazzo Ferreria, currently housing the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity. Incidentally, we learnt how the Maltese wooden balconies came to be and why they are rarely found on our sister island, Gozo.
Walking further up we stopped in the circus where the monument for de Valette is. We got quite some interesting information about the hero-founder of our capital city and about his valour. While there, our clever guide talked about the two churches at the corners, namely that of St Catherine of Alexandria and that of Our Lady of Victories, the first building in Valletta. The portico on the front of St Catherine’s church makes the building exceptional!
We ventured to Castille Place where, needless to say, the guide related quite a big chunk about the history of the splendid auberge built by Grandmaster Pinto de Fonseca. The current building is not the original one built to house the Knights of Castile, Leon and Portugal. Pinto rebuilt it in the 1740s.
Some more walking and we entered the Upper Barrakka gardens. We got to know why the two gardens – lower and upper – are called Barrakka and how the bust of Churchill came to be put in those gardens. We admired our famous grand harbour that is a natural harbour with its depth being ideal for ships. We learnt about the three cities, Cottonera, and its role during the reign of the Knights of St John as well as during the British rule.
Out of Barrakka, we walked into St Paul’s Street, turned left into Melita Street and right into Merchants’ Street. We got some information about the church of St James, about a house which still stands and which dates back from the period of the knights, and about the Castellania Palace that nowadays houses the Ministry for Health but as its name implies it served as a court of justice and a prison in the times of the knights. We were given a detailed explanation of a large decoration above the main door that depicts the definition of justice.
Here we were made aware of the reason why the three main streets of Valletta are wider than the rest of the streets; that underneath the streets we walk there are large cisterns where water would be collected for use by the residents of the city. Underneath would also serve as sorts of cesspits which would be flushed clean by sea-water.
At the corner with St John Street where there used to be the “ganċ”, hook – the reason for that part of the street taking its nickname as “it-triq tal-ganċ” – there is a stone pedestal which had a quite interesting role. Those who would commit some slight criminal offence would be placed on that pedestal and would be humiliated by the crowd that would gather around.
Turning on the left into St John Street, we were immediately being briefed about the magnificent St. John’s Co-Cathedral, a richly ornamented piece of architecture on the inside while quite plain on the outside. The entrance main door had been enlarged and apertures were opened on the inside to have more light entering the cathedral.
It was there where we had to put a stop to our walk because time was up. We enjoyed every second of our walk! Not only we walked about exercising ourselves and loosening our muscles, but we learnt a lot about our beloved Valletta. Pity on those who did not join us! They did miss a lot!
Article written by Mr. Carmelo Camilleri, carer and spouse of a patient member
Vittoriosa Walk with Me event held on 4th June 2019
On 4th June 2019, Arthritis and Rheumatism Association Malta, organised an activity that took us to the South East Region at The Three Cities, and particularly to Vittoriosa.
On the day of this activity all those that attended met at the Upper Barakka Gardens in Valletta where one could admire our natural harbour, surely one of the most beautiful harbours in the Mediterranean. We started by meeting our professional guide Ms. Charmaine Borg who surely should be praised for all the information and detailed episodes she recounted to us all throughout this activity.
The Valletta lift transported us all to the shoreline and together we headed off to the ferry to take us to the Three Cities. On arrival at Cospicua we had a short coffee break and then started off with our walk to Citta Vittoriosa, an old fortified city which occupies a promontory of land with Fort St. Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. We passed through a narrow stairway street on the side of St. Lawrence Church and reached Palazzo Bettina that was reputed to be haunted and dates to the 17th century. This building has a long-varied history serving as a residence for a number of distinguished individuals and families. We then walked up to the main square where one finds the Victory statue commemorating the Great Siege of 1565 and, which was placed there in 1705 during the Grand Mastership of Ramon Pirellis. Afterwards we visited the Inquisitor’s Palace where our guide imparted her knowledge about the history of this edifice and showed us around this magnificent piece of architecture which was built by the knights in the 1530. Afterwards it served as home to the Inquisitors of the Roman Catholic Church complete with prison cells, tribunal room, chapel and myriad dark legends of torture and punishment. Time just whizzed by and we headed back on foot to the Vittoriosa shoreline to catch the 1.30pm ferry back to Valletta to end our entertaining and very interesting visit of the Three Cities.
I must say that all twenty-six members who attended enjoyed this activity and a special thanks goes to the organising committee of ARAM association.
Additional article written by Mr. Patrick Formosa, ARAM member
On 4/6/19, members from the Arthritis and Rheumatism Association Malta (ARAM) were treated to a tour of the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa.
The trip to the 16th century palace, starting from the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, our assembly point, provided the group with an opportunity to cross the harbour on the ferry. Led by a professional guide, we could appreciate the natural beauty, cultural heritage and the imposing military infrastructure that surrounds the magnificent Grand Harbour.
As we were being ferried towards Vittoriosa, we could all sense that the harbour is extremely busy with commercial, industrial and pleasure-driven activities. The dgħajsa tal-pass, visible on the harbour’s water, seems to be making a comeback. Its presence generated a lot of nostalgia on the ferry.
The walk from the ferry terminal to the Inquisitor’s Palace featured a number of historical places that are generally well restored and which reminded us of the different phases in the history of Malta. As we listened to the guide’s expert narration, we could appreciate the important role that Birgu played in the maritime as well as the military history of Malta.
Originally built in the first decades of the sixteenth century, the Inquisitor’s Palace, the focus of our outing, served as the official seat of the Inquisition from 1574 to 1798. Here, the Inquisitor resided, and the transgressors of the faith tried and imprisoned.
The Palace is a veritable architectural gem. Altered several times and eclectic in style, the palace offers an architectural experience that ranges from the Gothic to the Baroque. We were proud to hear that it is the only Inquisitor’s Palace open to the public in the world.
As we walked through its chambers, we could sense that the purpose it served from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century is completely alien to today’s society. Here, we have a reminder of how important the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and worship are.
While providing the visitor with an opportunity to learn more about the history of the Inquisition in Malta, the Inquisitor’s Palace also serves as an ethnographic museum. The Palace welds the history of the powerful with that of the popular, reminding us all that history belongs to the people.
The Editor hopes you have enjoyed this newsletter, look out for our next edition due in December.
