Fascinating! At the tip of the Sciberras Peninsula are the enormous fortifications surrounding Fort St. Elmo, one of Valletta's most important strongholds. In 1488, the Aragonese built a watchtower dedicated to St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors, for the permanent guard post that the local militia had established here. In 1533, the Knights of St. John reinforced the tower because of its strategic location, but after the Ottoman raid of 1551, the tower was demolished and replaced by a star-shaped fort. During the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Ottomans managed to capture the fort after 28 days of fierce fighting, but ultimately they did not succeed in defeating the Knights of St. John and conquering Malta. As early as 1566, the architect Francesco Laparelli began rebuilding the fort on behalf of Grand Master Jean de Valette. In the centuries that followed, the fort was repeatedly reinforced, expanded and adapted to increasingly modern artillery. On 26 July 1941, the British managed to repel the Italian naval attack from the fort. In 1972, the Royal Malta Artillery left the fort, ending the army's presence there after some six centuries. In 1975, the National War Museum opened its doors, but the fort itself was not maintained and fell into disrepair. After the World Monuments Fund had placed the fort on the list of most endangered sites in 2008, restoration work began a year later and was completed in 2015. Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum are a fascinating destination that you should definitely not miss when visiting Valletta!