Malta may well owe its name to the area known as the Three Cities. The ancient Greek name for the Islands, Malet, loosely translates as ‘a place of shelter’. Certainly the fingers of rock jutting out into Grand Harbour with their deep natural inlets have provided shelter for ships from ancient times to present day.

Fort St Angelo has a long history dating at least to the early Middle Ages. It was the only strong harbour defence the Knights of St John discovered when they arrived on the Islands in 1530. The Knights, led by Grand Master L’Isle Adam, immediately started work on enlarging and strengthening Fort St Angelo and the surrounding village known as Il Borgo (later Birgu and then Vittoriosa). They also had a new town and fort built opposite: Senglea and Fort St Michael. The city was named after the Grand Master, Claude de Sengle, who founded it.

Between 1530 and 1565, the year of the Great Siege, the Knights transformed Birgu into a fortified city complete with their Auberges (inns of residence), churches, palaces and a hospital. Despite heavy bombing in World War II, much of this early history of the Knights remains intact, especially in Vittoriosa.