The St John’s Co-Cathedral Basis proudly pronounces the opening of Grand Ambitions, a landmark exhibition that shines a highlight on the visionary Sixteenth-century Italian architect Francesco Laparelli da Cortona, whose Renaissance blueprint laid the foundations of Valletta. The exhibition will run till Friday 18th July 2025 within the Caravaggio Wing at St John’s Co-Cathedral.
On show are authentic drawings by Laparelli, together with a uncommon map of Malta and 4 drawings of Valletta on mortgage from the Accademia Etrusca di Cortona, exhibited in Malta for the very first time. These works present invaluable perception into Laparelli’s conceptualisation of Valletta, not solely as a formidable stronghold however as a harmoniously designed civic and non secular centre. His assistant, Girolamo Cassar, later introduced these plans to life, designing most of the metropolis’s iconic buildings together with the Conventual Church of St John the Baptist.
The exhibition was inaugurated by a unprecedented organ live performance by Josep Solé Coll, the acclaimed chief organist of St Peter’s Basilica within the Vatican. His spiritually charged efficiency set the tone for the exhibition’s celebration of sacred structure and cultural heritage, held inside the gorgeous baroque environment of the Co-Cathedral.
Throughout the inauguration, Prof. Mons Emmanuel Agius, President of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Basis, addressed the importance of Laparelli’s legacy. As he adressed the attendees, Agius said “This exhibition is greater than a tribute to Francesco Laparelli. It’s a celebration of the enduring legacy of clever design, civic accountability, and the facility of creativeness rooted in mental self-discipline. Laparelli’s collaboration with the Knights of St John and his deep understanding of artwork and science of city design single him out as not simply an architect of stone and bastion, however as an architect of future.”
Key collaborations included Adriana Alescio, Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer of St John’s Co-Cathedral, Mr Sandro Adario, a consultant of the Laparelli household, and Dr Patrizia Rocchini, Head Librarian of the Biblioteca Comunale and of the Accademia Etrusca di Cortona. Collectively, they mirrored on the enduring influence of Laparelli’s architectural imaginative and prescient and the historic and cultural ties between Malta and Cortona.
The night concluded with a particular lecture by Prof Conrad Thake, on Francesco Laparelli and the Genesis of Valletta, a number one scholar in Maltese architectural historical past. His insights into Laparelli’s city planning reinforce the exhibition’s goal to reconnect the general public with the roots of Valletta’s cityscape.
St John’s Co-Cathedral continues to function a dwelling monument, one which not solely conserves Malta’s wealthy heritage however actively engages with it via music, scholarship, and visible artwork.
Entry to the exhibition is included with the acquisition of a normal admission ticket to St John’s Co-Cathedral.
This venture is made by St John’s Co-Cathedral Basis, Go to Malta, Comune di Cortona, Accademia Entrusca di Cortona, Biblioteca del Comune di Cortona e dell’Accademia Etrusca, and the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona.