Buskett
Encyclopedia
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
is one of the few woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
area in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and is overlooked by Verdala Palace
Verdala Palace
The Verdala Palace is the official summer residence of the President of Malta. It was built by Grandmaster Hughues Loubenx de Verdalle in 1586 on the site of a hunting lodge previously owned by Grandmaster Jean de la Valette-Parisot. The palace is known for its surrounding boschetto, which is a...
.
The Buskett Gardens are located in the fertile valley of Wied Il- Luq, Siġġiewi. They are located to the south of Rabat and just east of Dingli
Dingli
Ħad-Dingli is a village on the west coast of Malta, with a population of 3,326 persons , 13 kilometers from the capital Valletta and two kilometers from the nearest town, Rabat. The village lies on a plateau some 250 metres above sea level, which is one of the highest points of Malta...
. The gardens are at their best in the spring but they offer shade from the harsh mid-summer sun and offer a quiet place for a walk in the winter months. Verdala Palace, an official residence of the President of Malta
President of Malta
The President of Malta is the constitutional head of state of Malta.The President is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives of Malta for a five year term, taking an oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution....
, is located on the edge of the Gardens.
Many different trees and shrubs grow in the gardens but there are also many fruit-bearing trees there as well. This is one of the greenest areas in Malta. Indigenous forests once covered Malta, but trees were cut down for shipbuilding in the era when galleons plied the Mediterranean waters and for agricultural purposes. Perhaps the Buskett Gardens offer a glimpse of what Malta looked like in those days.
The gardens are very popular with Maltese people. People often visit the gardens to go for walks in the peaceful settings of the garden and to enjoy a picnic in the shade of the trees, or to work in woodland area. The gardens are also the site of the popular feast of Imnarja (the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul) which is celebrated on June 29. Hundreds of people flock to the gardens the night before the 29th to eat the traditional Maltese dish of Rabbit Stew cooked in wine and to listen to traditional folk music and singing and then in the morning there is the annual agricultural show.
Buskett Garden is Malta's only large area of woodland. It was planted by the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
as a hunting ground. It lies next to Verdala Palace, in a valley, just inland from Dingli Cliffs. Buskett has vineyards, oranges, olive and lemon groves, and is heavily wooded with native, hardy species such as Mediterranean pines. You can stick to the pathways lined with ivy-clad stone walls or venture off into the woodland. From autumn to spring you are bound to find plenty of interest, from wild flowers, natural springs, and woodland creatures. The wood leads up hill to the more formal gardens of Verdala Palace.
The Verdala Palace is perched on a hilltop overlooking Buskett Garden. It was built by Grand Master Hughes de Verdalle
Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
Fra' Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle was the 52nd Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1581 and 1595. He is mainly remembered for the reconstruction of the hunting lodge at Boschetto which was renamed Verdala Palace in his honour. He is buried in a sarcophagus in the Crypt of the Co-Cathedral of...
in 1588 as a summer residence. Following restoration, this elegant building now serves as the President's summer residence. The palace is not open to the public, but it does offer a notable landmark visible clearly from Dingli Cliffs, towering as it does over Buskett woodland.