May 2012 INSIDER78

A gem of a house museum in MDINA

Seen from afar, especially in the evening when it is lit up, it looks completely magical. And one of Mdina’s most magical and beautiful places is Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum.

Visiting Palazzo Falson is in fact more than magic. It also makes you see and feel how the higher society of Malta lived and what these leaders of society read and collected. It also gives a glimpse - in great detail and beautifully curated and exhibited - of how these people ate and where they had their entertainment. The dining room at the Palazzo is set in all its minutiae and is like a living tableau in a time-capsule bubble, with its finery, its silver, its lace and its furniture all placed to perfection. A room just a few steps away from the master bedroom was used by a butler to tend to his master’s needs. You walk around and feel transported to a life of opulence with beauty in every nook and history in every cranny.

A feeling of grand living permeates the place as one wonders around - helped quite efficiently by the descriptive panels and the Palazzo Falson audio-guide which is very user-friendly. Audio guides are not one of those things which always appeal to art savants - especially as art and gadgetry are hardly known to be the

best of friends. But the audio guide at the Palazzo Falson is easy to use, the commentary is interesting without being boring or pedantic and it helps you enjoy every minute of the visit. The voice, at least the one I heard in English, is crystal clear and mellifluous - adding to the overall effect of touring and exploring part of the past.

After 5 years of meticulous restoration by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Palazzo Falson was opened to the public in 2007. I am given all this extra information by the curator, Ms Francesca Balzan, a charming and radiant woman who is definitely an added asset to the place. Her charm is backed up by extensive knowledge and

Victor Calleja

The Palazzo’s Dining Room

Mdina is one of those places which have a haunting effect on all visitors. Its moat, its enchanting entrance, its meandering little streets all help to give it its medieval feel, as if cut off from all reality.

May 2012 79INSIDER

enthusiasm, which a relatively new museum needs.

After I did the tour by audio guide to get a proper feel of what a visitor encounters when coming to this historic place, Ms Balzan explained a few things about Palazzo Falson and what the museum organises on a regular basis. Small but very interesting exhibitions are held regularly.

A most original and slightly peculiar one was held all about whistles. – Highly decorative and beautifully carved whistles were on display at Palazzo Falson, to portray whistles throughout the ages and their uses from nautical needs to hunters’ uses. The latest most intriguing exhibition was one of scent bottles, in which all sorts of sizes, colours and uses of these bottles were on display. This focus on little known and intriguing, and sometimes even discarded or disregarded, items, has been quite a

success and the exhibitions usually also include gallery talks and are backed up by detailed information and images on the Palazzo Falson website.

MHRA, in conjunction with Heritage Malta, are in the process of organising visits for front office personnel of hotels to historic sites. This gives the latter a good feel of what the sites offer and what visitors should really expect. These initiatives are very commendable for various reasons. It makes our hotel employees more efficient; they get a real feel of what the visitors experience and it also makes them appreciate what a wealth of art, treasures, heritage and experiences this little isle offers not just the visitor but all people who have a connection to Malta.

Palazzo Falson is a true embodiment of quality - with each step you take in the palazzo you feel captivated by the meticulous attention to detail and the utter

number of artefacts that are all over the place. When visitors to Malta want to take in quality, a visit to the palazzo fits in beautifully. Formerly called the Norman House, Palazzo Falson must be one of the oldest homes in Malta. Of course throughout the ages a lot of changes and extensions were also incorporated. Its oldest part dates from the mid 1200s so when Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti took the restoration in hand it was quite a daunting exercise.

Experts in history, architecture, art restoration, anthropology and various other fields were consulted in getting the Palazzo and its various artefacts restored and changed into a living museum. Besides the various craftsmen needed to restore the actual place the exercise needed photographers - who shot each artefact and each part of the building while it was going through its restoration process - to record everything; then all art pieces had to be transported and professionally cleaned and restored till the project was all finished.

The project was a real exercise in love and dedication. But finally the dream of its most recent owner and resident - Captain Olof Frederick Gollcher - was fulfilled. He always wished to see his “house” turned into a historic house museum. Interestingly, Captain Olof Gollcher’s history is also quite

The Chapel

A decimal time watch by Robert Robin; one of the many curios on display at Palazzo Falson

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captivating. He was a distinguished man who received a number of honours; served in the British army in both wars and besides being an eclectic collector of art was an artist himself and had his works exhibited all over Europe.

Besides his vast collections which are now on permanent view for all of us to enjoy at Palazzo Falson, Captain Gollcher was also friends with some leading artists of his time, and a number of their paintings

and sculptures were donated to our museums through his friendship with the artists. Captain Gollcher was a most accomplished man and his masterpiece - Palazzo Falson - can now be enjoyed and appreciated by visitors and locals.

After being hewn out of the earth precious gems need to be chiselled into proper shape and form and then the true, proper colours, contours and magnificence come out in near-perfection if put into their proper

setting and given proper lighting. Gems need looking after and given prominence so that people can view and admire their beauty.

Locked away in some vault these lovely gems are either forgotten or seen only by the owner and some others. Palazzo Falson like a real gem has been polished into brilliance, put into brilliant spotlight and can be viewed not just by a few but by anyone who feels they should enjoy a truly fulfilling experience.

Francesca Balzan, the museum’s Curator

Courtyard

Library

Below: ‘Vanitas’ by Juriaen Van Streek (1789)