San Anton Gardens
Built around 1626 by Grandmaster Antoine De Paule as his villa closer to Valetta than Verdala, the palace and the gardens were built to accommodate the Grandmaster's guests and numerous staff. Cooks, food tasters, torch bearers, pantry boys, wig makers, a winder of the clocks, and physicians, as well as a baker to make black bread for feeding his hunting dogs. When Napoleon took over Malta, the Palace became the seat of the French National Assembly in 1799. Under British Rule the place housed the Governor and the Governor General of Malta. In 1882 the gardens were opened to the public. Apart from the pleasant symmetrical paths and groves, the original garden contained many orange groves which the Grandmaster would give as presents to his guests or subjects. Throughout the years however it became a tradition for several heads of state to plant a tree in the garden in memory of their stay in Malta. The result is that the garden is full of trees from around the world, some of which are three centuries old. Together with its aviaries, ponds, fountains, sculptures, the garden hosts a number of events annually together with a permanent exhibition of Maltese traditional crafts including stone sculpture, lace making and glass blowing . Since 1974 the palace has become the residence of the President of Malta. The Palace has even been the Queen Elizabeth II's choice of residence when visiting Malta, both in 1954, 1967 when she was Queen of Malta and in 2005 as Queen of England.
