Casa Rosanna - Marsaskala
Breathing life into old buildings..........
One of the nice things about living in Marsaskala has been being able to wander down to the seafront for a walk, sometimes we’d head right towards the remains of the Jerma Hotel and take in the view of the horizon, and others left towards the rugged beauty of Zonqor, perhaps via a stop at Sottozero for a surreptitious gelato. To be fair, the prospect of gelato often won out and we’d wander along the front taking in what was happening. As I’ve mentioned before, Marsaskala is a growing town, just in the time since we arrived last September, we’ve seen the level of development going on, flats completed, buildings renovated, new restaurants arriving, others closing.
One building we’ve been watching change is what I now know to be Casa Rosanna, which is being developed into a boutique hotel. We, and I’m sure half of Marsaskala, have been watching the progress unfold with interest, so I was pleased when Rudy, who has been organising the display of some artworks at the hotel, suggested an opportunity meet with one of the managers, Donna Desira-Cutajar, to discuss the renovation project which is due to open at the end of July.
Historically, Marsaskala had always been a small village dependant on agriculture and fishing, however, in the nineteenth century, wealthy families started to build summer homes here to get away from the heat in the density of Valletta and the Three Cities. Casa Rosanna was originally built in 1885 as a summer villa for a noble family, it exchanged hands a few times as was finally bought a century later by the current owners. It became a family home and business including the well known Al Kafe on the seafront, however, times change, and about two years ago the idea of creating a boutique hotel was born.
The focus of the project has been to renovate sympathetically with the environment of Marsaskala and to retain it’s Maltese character while going forward into contemporary times. The feel inside is great, the Maltese character certainly remains, Donna advised she was inspired by the beauty of the Baroque, let’s face it, are you even Maltese if your aren’t? From the reception area with it’s grandiose gold ceiling, beautiful ornate mirrors and tinkling chandelier, to the stripped back honey walls and gorgeous staircase leading to the rooms, the sense of the Baroque, as always, pervades.
Donna advised she was inspired by the beauty of the Baroque, let’s face it, are you even Maltese if your aren’t?
There’s another side though as well, which is homage to the traditional Maltese home, noble or not, through the décor of the hotel. The traditional tiles, now so recognised as part of the fabric of Maltese life, have been used throughout, bringing in that sense of home, there are lovely touches that instantly say Malta, still lives of fruit, ever present in any Maltese house, brass plants on stands and original Maltese credenza with lovely marble tops. These touches are not so much the glamour of the nobility but the day to day of simple Maltese life and they are really resonant.
The external structure has stayed mainly the same, Donna shared family photos of how the villa had looked at various times and it can be seen that the renovation has stayed faithful to the original while creating a new space, there will be just twenty rooms and, of course, a pool!Â
Of interest is the red paint on the exterior, when we were on our walks making musings on the development I thought the red paint would go but, to my surprise, it stayed. In fact, the background research done on the building showed  it is a characteristic of the building, often connoted as belonging to a noble house.Â
Obviously, I had to have a little bit of further research, I found an article in the Times of Malta, actually a series of three, that discusses the sudden emergence of red exterior paint in the nineteenth century in Maltese buildings. There’s a suggestion that the interest in red paint is connected to British rule and the desire to make buildings look like red brick building back in the UK. There are many examples, the villa was constructed in the late 1880s so it fits in with the ideas of the article, I’ve attached links below if anyone would like to read more!
It makes for an interesting contrast to the rest of the façade which is then brought together harmoniously by the strong blue of the windows and balconies. The main balcony stood out to me as it has quite an Arabic feel in contrast to the usual Maltese wooden balcony, the origins of this are lost in the mists of time but it is intriguing!
It’s a bold project, against a background of rapidly developing change in Malta, it was greeted with some understandable reservations locally but the sympathetic treatment of the renovation has won people round with Donna saying she has received positive feedback that it has been done with sensitivity to the local environment. The passion of all involved is apparent, there has been an almost obsessive attention to detail in the creation of the building. A great touch is the name of the breakfast room, The 85, which celebrates both the original date the house was built and it’s purchase by the family a century later.
Donna expects this passion to continue through to the running of the hotel in an excellent level of service, something that sadly, sometimes seems to have been lost in Maltese hospitality these days. She explained that it was one of the main criteria in partnering with Dolce Sicilia, a lovely looking café that has already opened on the seafront side. Â
For me, Marsaskala is undergoing something of a Renaissance, nice cafes and restaurants are popping up around the place but it’s also retaining its diverse character. Hopefully, the opening of Casa Rosanna will add a classy act!
PS - I know you all love my dodgy photos normally but for this article Donna kindly gave me access to the professional photographs taken by Andrew Geradi, thanks for that!
Rita Fennell
Gallery Tart
I love how you got down to the story of the red paint...good research.
I enjoyed learning this bit about on spot in Malta. It’s a start for me! Thanks.