I have seen the Triton Foundation in various stages of its sad deterioration and rediscovered splendour. It has never failed to capture the attention of locals and visitors like me. It demands us to witness its presence at the gate to Valletta and its weaving of magic as the water shoots and dances over the bronze sculptures.
It has become a cultural icon at the entrance to Valletta. It served as the pivot point of the bus terminal where the green or yellow buses would circle before coming to their passenger bay, later it would become the centre piece of the reimagined plaza leading to the Valletta city gate. Along its journey from inception to becoming an icon it has had its share of controversies.
The Triton Fountain was first commissioned in 1953 and was used for the first time in 1959. But it was never officially inaugurated until its restoration in 2018.
Photo: Victor Anastasi Collection
The fountain consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a huge circular basin or platter, measuring 5 metres in diameter and weighing approximately 3 tons. Two of the Tritons are sitting, while the third one is kneeling. The three mythical creatures are set on a seaweed relief base. It is balanced on a base of four concentric basins built out of concrete and clad in 730 tons of travertine slabs.
The fountain is one of Malta’s most important landmarks. The face of each Triton is visible when viewed from the City Gate. Marking its important place in Maltese architecture, MaltaPost issued, as part of its “Treasures of Malta Series – Fountains” series of stamps, a stamp depicting the Triton Fountain.
Controversy has added to the mystic and reverence of the Fountain. For the 1978 Republic Day national festivities a platform was built on the fountain to house entertainment acts. This included concerts as well as motorcycles climbing on the bronze basin over specially constructed ramps. Never built for such a role, this pressure greatly weakened the structure, and together with natural deterioration, it resulted in structural damage. The damage resulted in unregulated water flow within the structure, causing one of the Tritons’ arms to break and the platter to collapse. The collapse of the platter resulted in significant damage to two of the three Tritons. Over the years the fountain fell into disrepair and neglect, belatedly works were commissioned in the mid-1980s to fix the damaged fountain.
Thirty years later in 2011, without widespread consultation the structure was proposed to be moved under the Renzo Piano reconstruction design for the Valletta City Gates. It was proposed that the fountain had to be moved several metres to create an open space that would complement the new city gate project. Architect Piano’s justification was that shifting the Triton Fountain away from Valletta’s entrance would restore “the architectural and historical context of the entrance to the fortified city”.
Photo: Maria Stella Micallef
Eventually, a full restoration project was undertaken leading to the fountain being brought back to its former glory and it was finally inaugurated when Malta became the cultural centre of Europe in 2018.
The Triton Fountain cameo in
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The Triton Fountain dominates the path to the Valletta gate. The massive dish, held aloft by the three bronze tritons, sprays water into the air, the thin streaks of water cascade over the lip of the dish splashing down the green tinged bronze sculptures into the white water at their base. The breeze carries fine droplets over me as I stride towards the city, dodging the tourists, who are busy taking pictures of each other in front of the magnificent landmark. They shout instructions to move positions trying to capture a shot with the fountain in front of the city gate and battlements in the background. The scene is lost in the growl of buses swinging around the terminus to stop under the sign announcing il-Belt, the City, Valletta.
The nostalgia sweeps over me of the old yellow buses that would chug a path to the city carrying Mother, Ilaria and I for a day of shopping.
The carpark’s exit gate, its arm stuck upright, waves us out of the concourse. Our wheels are separated by a mere bike length. Joseph throttles hard onto the street and steers to the main road leading away from the city, towards the town of Hamrun. Renovations at the war memorial have shut the right lane, instead we swing left onto the outer lane of the roundabout.
Blocked by buses, Joseph swings the bike tight to the inside lane, forcing us to head back towards the city. A bus lurches from my left. Joseph works the handlebars hard. My arms grip tighter, I duck my head waiting for the collision. A twist of the throttle thrusts us through a gap in front of a horse drawn carriage.
Our two wheels float over the kerbside gripping onto the paving, we careen along the plaza past the Triton Fountain. The black helmet is closing in. I sneak a glance over Joseph’s shoulder to see we are heading towards the city gates.
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