Auberge d'Italie
| Auberge d'Italie | |
|---|---|
| Berġa tal-Italja | |
Façade of Auberge d'Italie
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| General information | |
| Status | Intact |
| Type | Auberge |
| Architectural style | Mannerist and Baroque |
| Location | Valletta, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°53′47″N 14°30′41″E / 35.89639°N 14.51139°E |
| Current tenants | Malta Tourism Authority |
| Construction started | 1574 |
| Opened | September 1579 |
| Renovated | 1582–1595 1680–1683 |
| Owner | Government of Malta |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone (façade decorated with marble) |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect |
Girolamo Cassar Gio Andrea Farrugia |
| Engineer | Francesco Antrini |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Mederico Blondel |
The Auberge d'Italie (Maltese: Berġa tal-Italja, Italian: Albergo d'Italia) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it originally had a Mannerist design by Girolamo Cassar and several other architects. The building continued to be modified throughout the course of the 17th century, with the last major renovation being carried out in the 1680s during the magistracy of Gregorio Carafa, giving the building a Baroque character.
After the Order was expelled from Malta in 1798, the auberge was used for a number of purposes, housing a military headquarters, an officers' mess, a museum, a school of arts, a courthouse, the General Post Office and various government departments. Until recently, it housed the Malta Tourism Authority, there are plans to move the National Museum of Fine Arts into the building, under the name MUŻA.
Auberge d'Italie was the third Italian auberge to be built in Malta. The first auberge was built in Birgu in the 1550s, on the site of an earlier building which had been used by the Langue of Italy. Following the transfer of the capital city from Birgu to Valletta, a second auberge was built in the centre of the new city in 1570–71. This building was eventually incorporated into the Grandmaster's Palace, and the present auberge began to be built in Strada San Giacomo (now Merchants Street). The original designs of both Valletta auberges were made by the Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar.
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