Casa Rocca Piccola

Valletta, Malta

Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace in Valletta and home of the noble de Piro family. The history of the building goes back over 400 years to an era in which the Knights of St John, having successfully fought off the invading Turks in 1565, decided to build a prestigious city to rival other European capitals such as Paris and Venice. Palaces were designed for prestige and aesthetic beauty in most of Valletta"s streets, and bastion walls fortified the new sixteenth-century city. Casa Rocca Piccola was one of two houses built in Valletta by Admiral Don Pietro la Rocca. It is referenced in maps of the time as 'la casa con giardino' meaning, the house with the garden, as normally houses in Valletta were not allowed gardens. Changes were made in the late 18th century to divide the house into two smaller houses. Further changes were made in 1918 and before the second world war an air raid shelters was added. The Casa Rocca Piccola Family Shelter is the second air-raid shelter to be dug in Malta. In 2000 a major restoration project saw the two houses that make up Casa Rocca Piccola reunited.

Casa Rocca Piccola was designed with long enfilades of interconnecting rooms on the first floor, while leaving the ground floor rooms for kitchens and stables. The house has over fifty rooms, including two libraries, two dining rooms, many drawing rooms, and a chapel.

The house is furnished with collections of furniture, silver and paintings from Malta and Europe. Casa Rocca Piccola houses Malta"s largest private collection of antique costumes.

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Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Malta

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ieva Vāvule (23 days ago)
Casa Rocca is remarkable destination, rich in historic charm and an ideal spot for immersing yourself in its stunning architecture and intricate interior. We explored it with our 6 year old daughter, but would love to return on our own to spend more time appreciating all the beautiful details.
Carolynn Smith (44 days ago)
Spent a lovely few hours here. What an amazing place! Not crowded. All the staff were all so helpful. We even met the marquis who was chatting to visitors to his home about some of the many, many artefacts gathered by 9 generations of his family. Everywhere was so clean - no dust here! We downloaded their app to read about each room as you moved through the Palace with extra information about certain objects. So easy. Loved it.
Lauren Domville (47 days ago)
This was one of my favourite things I did in Malta. As someone who loves history and antiques it was fascinating walking around the Palazzo. It was a real view into life of the upper classes in Malta over the centuries. The most beautiful artwork and objects - I could’ve looked around for hours. Highly recommend!
Phantomrijder (2 months ago)
Beam me up Scotty I have to report on the time capsule called Casa Rocco Piccola. 1st the parrot is doing well, 2nd these people read a lot of books, 3rd they liked silverware and posh dining tables, 4th they liked nooks and crannies and floor tiles of many designs, 5th they have taste for art deco and have been "influenced" in some Palladium way. 6th the receptionists can be made to laugh once they realise you are using dead-pan, 7th they have some English nostaligia thing going on and are not, by today's inclinations particularly PC. Which all fitted very well with my own tendencies when I visited. I have to go again and this time try and stop the whole goggle/swivel-eye thing I had the first time.
Matthias Großauer (3 months ago)
Extremely friendly reception at the ticket counter! The house breathes history in every corner. Beautiful villa with a great garden, which is also home to a parrot. I found the bunkers particularly interesting. A must see for history fans in Valletta.
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