Casa Rocca Piccola

Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace at 74 Republic Street (Triq ir-Repubblika) in Valletta, Malta, and one of the few noble houses in the city still lived in by its family, the de Piro family. Visitors enter on a guided tour that passes through some 20 rooms furnished as they have been for generations. The house was built in the 1580s for a knight of the Order of St John and later became the home of the Marquis de Piro, a title in the family. Rooms on the tour include a drawing room with a collection of family portraits, the dining room set with silver and porcelain, the library, bedrooms and a costume gallery holding garments and accessories from several centuries. The guides, often members of the family or staff trained by them, tell stories of the household and of Valletta life over the centuries. A highlight is the underground air-raid shelter dug beneath the house in World War II, where visitors descend to see rooms used by the family and neighbours during the bombing of Malta. A small garden courtyard and a cafe or small shop may also be open. The tour usually takes about one hour, and departure times are set, so checking casaroccapiccola.com for the schedule is advisable. Tours typically run mornings to mid-afternoon Monday to Saturday. The first tour of the day is usually the quietest and allows more time for questions, while late morning tours tend to be fuller. Photography is often restricted inside, so rules should be confirmed at the start. The house is about 12 minutes' walk from City Gate, halfway down Republic Street, close to the Grand Master's Palace and the Manoel Theatre.