Yes, I raise my hands. I admitted it. I have an insatiable appetite for looking at other people’s houses.
No. I’m not a “Peeping Tom”. When I looked up the definition of “Peeping Tom” in my Collins Concise Dictionary and Thesaurus, I was told that Peeping Tom is a man who peeps at women undressing. That is definitely not me. But, yes, I confess that I do sneak a peek to the sides when I’m out for a walk to see how much I can see through windows that aren’t covered with screens. I prefer to think that I am inquisitive, that I have a natural curiosity to discover what brings the soul into a home… what inspires people and what treasures (or sometimes not) are hidden behind the front door.
Fortunately I can legitimately satisfy my curiosity, for there are so many beautiful houses and gardens open to the public to visit both in this country and abroad.
On a recent summer trip to Gozo with my husband, we decided to take the ferry back to Malta and drive to Valletta. There I found Casa Rocca Piccola, at 74 Republic Street, the 16th-century home of a Maltese nobleman. Now it is the house of the IX Marquis of Piro and his family. Frances, the marchioness is English and it is she who greets you when you walk through the front door. The history of Casa Rocca Piccola dates back more than 400 years, to an era in which the Knights of Saint John, after having successfully fought against the Turkish invaders in 1565, decided to build a prestigious city to compete with European capitals. . The house is named after the first owner, Don Pietro La Rocca, Admiral of the Order of Saint John in the Langue of Italy. In later years, it was leased to a succession of Italian aristocratic gentlemen, and sold to a Maltese nobleman in the second half of the 18th century.
Casa Rocca Piccola is not a museum: it is, in a certain sense, more than that. He is a living relic of a past way of life charged with the claims and aspirations of the Maltese lineage. There are numerous memorabilia items to view, not only for their artistic merit, but also because they bring reality to the overall scene.
Going up the ornate marble staircase you will see, dominating the upper landing, a carved coat of arms from Pyro wood. This was the last work of the Maltese artist Edward Pirotta. Hanging above is a hugely intricate chandelier from Bohemia. The first room to visit on your tour is the Chapel in which the walls are painted to simulate damask. There are two crosses on the altar: an ivory crucifix granted two hundred days of leniency by Cardinal Godfrey in 1960. The second cross houses a True Cross particle behind a small red curtain. Its authenticity is confirmed by no less than seven Vatican seals on the reverse. As was the case with most European noble families, it was customary for the youngest son to become a priest and for that particular reason many patrician families were privileged to have a chapel in the house. The Marquess’s grandfather represented George VI and his medals are kept here along with an exquisite pair of shoes known as papal boots and a pair of silver filigree earrings, a gift from the Bishop of Gozo to Nicolina de Piro after her husband will donate land to build the famous church of Ta’ Pinu in Gozo.
Next to the Green Room, where the walls are really green! Here’s a gorgeous marquetry bookcase that particularly caught my eye. Made around 1640 during the reign of the French Provençal Grand Master Lascaris, it bears his arms on the gate. The panels are recessed inside and out. A fascinating work of art. I was told the veneer was a mix of olive and orange wood. There are many portraits hanging on the walls and a photograph of the 8th Baron and Baroness who attended Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 is proudly displayed. Moving on to the four-poster bedroom, the only room in the house not in use, the bed is a masterpiece reputed to be great-grandmother Orsola’s double bed. Married in 1867, she had 9 children: 7 boys and 2 girls. They all survived childhood and that’s why the bed is considered lucky!
The next room is the Porphyry Room, so named because the walls were once painted to imitate porphyry marble; then the Blue Room or small living room with modern paintings collected by the family. Among them works by Annigoni, The Rathmells, Rowley-Smart and Durer. The style of the Dining room which once had an open terrace overlooking the small garden contrasts with the rest of the house and is considered “folly”. Built by the grandfather of the current family in 1918, its white pillars and light appearance certainly make it very different from the rest of the house. It gives the impression of a conservatory because of its lightness and airiness. A trompe l’oeil of a Spanish woman playing a harp on a black and white tiled floor produces an exaggerated perspective that gives the impression that the room is longer. The last room is the Carriage Room which was once a stable for a mule purpose, going back perhaps my favorite room is the Library. Here I found what can only be described as the most outstanding piece of furniture imaginable. A mobile chapel. When closed it looks like a large black lacquered desk, however it opens up to become a fully functioning chapel with its own tabernacle, relics and Stations of the Cross. It is richly decorated with images of exotic birds and flora and panels depicting Saint Francis Zavier in Japan and Goa. The idea was that you could have a chapel in any room in your house and then it could be closed to make it look like a secular piece of furniture. An absolutely stunning piece.
One of the treasures in the house that I must not forget to mention is a golden sedan made for the Knight of Malta, Fra Victor Nicolas de Vachon Belmont, considered a romantic figure who led his men personally, oh, and lastly, “April” the family tortoise found in the small garden. Interestingly, Casa Rocca Piccola was one of the few houses in the time of the knights that was allowed a garden. It was a great privilege for its owners since water was scarce and gardens were technically prohibited.
So if you ever find yourself strolling down Republic Street in Valletta, Casa Rocca Piccola gives you the rare opportunity to see inside one of the last unconverted private palaces in Valletta still in use today. It is highly recommended for anyone like me, with curiosity and an inquisitive appetite to see the inside of other people’s houses.