12 Fortified Port Cities Where History Meets the Ocean Waves

2. Valletta, Malta: Bastion of the Knights

Forged by the Knights of St. John in the 16th century after the Great Siege, Valletta is a baroque masterpiece built on a peninsula fortified by colossal bastions and deep moats. Its grid layout was an innovative military design for its time, allowing for rapid troop movement. Fort St. Elmo, guarding the Grand Harbour, became legendary for its heroic resistance. Valletta was conceived as an unbreachable fortress city, its golden stone walls absorbing centuries of sun and sea spray, a testament to faith, warfare, and architectural grandeur.