Casa Rocca Piccola
Casa Rocca Piccola is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Valletta audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type palace
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Valletta Valletta guide
About Casa Rocca Piccola
A 16th-century palace on Republic Street, still home to the de Piro family: fifty-odd rooms of silver, costume and lace, with WWII air-raid shelters cut into the rock below.
Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace built around 1580 for Don Pietro la Rocca, a senior knight and admiral of the Order of St John. It stands at 74 Republic Street and is owned and still inhabited by the noble de Piro family, headed by the Marquis de Piro. The palace contains more than fifty rooms, including two libraries, two dining rooms, several drawing rooms and a private chapel, and is open to the public through daily guided tours.
As a private house-museum it displays family furniture, silver and paintings from Malta and Europe, together with Malta's largest private collection of antique costumes and a substantial collection of Maltese lace. The family archive preserves records reaching back to the late sixteenth century. Beneath the building are WWII air-raid shelters cut into the rock, which visitors descend during the tour. The house also runs a small bed-and-breakfast and the La Giara restaurant. It lies within Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Did you know? Unusually for a house open to visitors, Casa Rocca Piccola is still a family home. The noble de Piro family, headed by the Marquis de Piro, live here among the rooms the tour passes through.
How long should you spend at Casa Rocca Piccola?
Plan about ~45 min at Casa Rocca Piccola. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Casa Rocca Piccola worth visiting?
Casa Rocca Piccola is one of the 14 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Valletta, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Valletta
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Casa Rocca Piccola and read more:
Day 1 of the Valletta in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Casa Rocca Piccola
Preview the Valletta tour free in the Gingerguide app.