Castello Dei Baroni

Castello Dei Baroni
View of the Castello Dei Baroni
General information
Status	Intact
Type	Residence
Location	Wardija, St. Paul's Bay, Malta
Coordinates	35°56′15.8″N 14°23′34.7″E / 35.937722°N 14.392972°E / 35.937722; 14.392972
Named for	Barons Montalto
Completed	Early 20th-century
Technical details
Material	Limestone
Floor count	2
Floor area	11240 m sq
Website
castellodeibaroni.com

Castello Dei Baroni

Established	14 February 2010
Type	House museum
Collection size	Antique literature, old photos, falconry display, hunting methods

Castello Dei Baroni is a 20th-century residence in Wardija, Malta. In the 18th-century, during the magistracy of Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, a rural building was constructed on site. The Montalto family owned the whereabouts of its site in the 20th-century, and built the Castello Dei Baroni, incorporating the old structure. It was then purchased by Adrian Busietta and Maria Caruana.

Busietta and Caruana enlarged and renovated the building, making it ideal for events of the Ecumenical Order and third parties. The building is open to the public, against payment, as a house museum and exhibits items dating from the 16th-century. It is occasionally used for charity purposes and other initiatives. It is found in a remote area, where public transport is not immediately available.

It is a limestone building, with two floors, and a back garden. The main layout of the interior feature the intact 18th-century building, a spacious hall, a library, a typical Grand Master bedroom, and a chapel. Visitors are offered an audio visual about the history of the Ecumenical Order, and to view a hunting exhibition. Busietta died in 2016, after which the building was put for sale.

The building is found in the hamlet of Wardija, on a site which was originally known as Ta' Tanti, as meaning "the land of Tanti". Tanti is a Maltese surname, which may suggest the owner of the land prior development. It is found at the inner side of the hamlet. The address is now Castello Dei Baroni, Triq Madonna Tal-Abbandunati (Our Lady of the Abandoned Street), Wardija, SPB 07. Other sources claim a different name to the street as St. George's Street, as probably know to locals due to the nearby church named for Saint George, but it has been used in official documents.

The building is open to the public against payment during the week, from Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm. Prior booking is required and other arrangements, such as the reasons for visiting. Generally people visit the premises when renting it as a wedding hall, for private dinners or some drinks, or cultural interest. To reach the building, by public transport, people can go by bus and stop at a bus stop in the nearby hamlet of Burmarrad. At this point, a short thirty minutes walk uphill, while crossing through Wardija, is needed to get to the building. Other ways to arrive is by using own transport or direct arrangement with the hosts.