Status Intact Location Lija, Malta Opened 1857 Material Limestone Named for Lija | Type Folly Completed 1857 Owner Government of Malta Architectural style Neoclassical architecture Architect Giuseppe Bonavia | |
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Address Vjal it-Transfigurazzjoni, Ħal Lija, Malta Similar Villa Francia, San Anton Palace, La Borsa, Dragonara Palace, Palazzo Ferreria | ||
The Lija Belvedere Tower, officially Torri Belvedere, is a belvedere in Lija, Malta. It was built in the 19th century as a folly within a private garden, and it is now located on a roundabout.
History
The belvedere tower was built in 1857 as a folly within the gardens of Villa Gourigon, a 17th-century villa which belonged to the Marquis Depiro. It was designed by the architect Giuseppe Bonavia.
In the 1950s, part of the villa's garden was destroyed to make way for Transfiguration Avenue. The belvedere was retained as a roundabout, and it is now one of Lija's landmarks.
The tower was restored in 1995 and 1996, and it is listed as a Grade 1 property by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands as part of Villa Gourgion.