Arzella Palace

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Location: Triq l-Arkati, Isla.

The magisterial palace in Senglea was built over a large cave that features a sculptured clam on its ceiling. The cave is located in Arches Street and it is also known as the Shell Fountain ‘l-Arzella’ since one finds a large clam carved in the rock. The cave is called ‘tas-Sirena’ as there is a legend tied to the place which says that during the Knights’ period, in this area people used to see a mermaid. It was thought that anyone tying his ship ‘underneath the mermaid’ would be blessed with luck. In Summer, boats sheltered in the cave and the garden were surrounded by a pergola that supported a canopy which was overflowed with vines. Today in the shell fountain, potable water still comes out of the rocks and the locals use this water for irrigation.

Il-palazz maġisterjali fl-Isla nbena fuq għar kbir li fih arzella skolpita fuq is-saqaf. L-għar jinsab fi Triq l-Arkati u huwa magħruf wkoll bħala ‘l-Arzella’ hekk kif wieħed isib arzella kbira mnaqxa fil-blat. L-għar jissejjaħ ‘tas-Sirena’ għax hemm leġġenda marbuta mal-post li tgħid li matul il-perjodu tal-Kavallieri, f’din iż-żona n-nies kienu jaraw sirena. Kien maħsub li kull min kien jorbot il-vapur tiegħu ‘taħt is-sirena’ kien isib il-fortuna. Fis-Sajf, kien ikun hemm dgħajjes għal kenn fl-għar u fil-ġnien u kienu mdawra b'pergola li żżomm kanupew li kien ifur bid-dwieli. Illum fl-Arzella, mill-blat għadu joħroġ ilma potabbli li n-nies tal-lokal jużaw biex isaqqu.