Road to be paved

Paved road close by Pope Alexander VII Street

Little bird tells me that in the next 3 to 4 years, the Collacchio part of Birgu as well as the main square are to be paved. Pope Alexander VII street is to also be included. This is great news for La Indulgenza. Let's hope they also pedestrianise the street.

Restoring the fabric of the house

The pointing is dug out carefully to avoid damaging the stone itself


New pointing made from the right mixture is applied

Work started three weeks ago with the contract still unsigned. William, an old school friend, was chosen from three different companies that had submitted quotes. Contract was signed on 20 Jan.

The previous owner employed workers without the necessary expertise and this has meant we have been forced to remove their pointing before applying the right mixture again. It has been an exercise in damage limitation as our mason has found some of the stone edges chipped by over-enthusiastic hacking.

Some of the stone used in the building originally was not of the best of quality, possibly taken from quarries close by. The passage of time has corroded this stone to an extent that it needs to be partly or fully substituted.

We will need to wait for consistently fair weather to open up the roof and construct the room on the roof.


Some of the stones are so badly effected by the ravages of time that they have to be completely or partially removed.


Substitute stones are sourced from buildings of the same era and nobody is any the wiser.

Old graffiti on the walls

It's really exciting to have discovered some ancient graffiti in what will eventually be the bedroom. The little drawings were discovered by the mason. They depict boats with sails. The second seems to illustrate a larger vessel complete with oars. It'll be great to find out when and by whom were they drawn.