Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1116643
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 MAY 2019 CULĊTURE CULTURE THIS Sunday, Heritage Malta in collab- oration with NGO Friends of Villa Frere are inviting the public to visit the in- triguing gardens of Villa Frere in Pietá. Distinguished as a prestigious botanic garden in its heydays, for many years, this place stood in a complete state of abandonment and few were aware of its existence. Villa Frere gardens were created by British diplomat, poet, scholar and philanthropist John Hookham Frere, after the demise of his wife in 1831, as a means of comfort for his sadness. From these gardens, which enjoyed wide open views spanning from Mdina to Valletta, he could also look out at the Msida Bastion Cemetery, where his wife reposed. The place became a sanctuary for numerous academics, most famously Mikiel Anton Vassalli, who reportedly discussed with Frere on how to estab- lish Maltese as a written and taught language. This romantic story and the gardens of Villa Frere faded away with Frere's death in 1846. The site fell into neglect until forty years later, when the villa became the residence of Captain Ed- ward Price. A notable garden enthusi- ast, he gave life back to the property, earning it the title of a botanic garden. The place became a prominent attrac- tion, both to locals and foreigners. Re- nowned artists, painters, scholars and even three monarchs have walked in- side these lush grounds. In 1930, the gardens attained international fame when they were featured in Country Life Magazine, a world-leading land- scaping periodical. Today, just over a third of the origi- nal area survives (including the house), yet their mystique is still there. NGO Friends of Villa Frere has been work- ing hard to protect what remains and to restore the gardens with life once again. Admittance is at a donation of €2 per person. Tickets are available from all Heritage Malta museums and sites and online on www.heritagemalta. org Tickets will not be available at the door. Tours will include a visit to the gar- dens of Villa Frere only. Entrance is through St Luke's Hospital. The gar- dens will be open from 9am to 5pm with the last tour at 4.30pm. Discover Pietá's secret garden A strangely forlorn Doric tempietto standing at the rear of St Luke's hospital was a clue to the abandoned gardens hidden close by Villa Frere Gardens Curious structures in Villa Frere gardens The restored Royal Gazebo at Villa Frere gardens