Our Story
From the very beginning, The Limestone Heritage was conceived to provide a completely new kind of venue, where history, culture and tradition blend together to relax, inform and entertain. Limestone is at the very core of Malta’s long history. It is the very stuff of which these islands are made. Sediment upon sediment of dead organic matter deposited itself for millions of years under a primordial sea. Then, around 20,000,000 years ago, two great continents, Africa and Europe pressing against each other, pushed to the surface this tiny archipelago, that came to be known as Malta, Gozo and Comino.
Limestone is a relatively strong, but malleable mineral, that can be used to build great structures or molded into exquisite designs. Witness to this are the 5000-year-old megalithic temples, gargantuan structures that were once thought to be the work of giants.
Also witnesses are the myriad of other great structures have set into stone the passage of history of these islands.
Valletta is the epitome of such feats, with its magnificent churches and palaces and impressive bastions, but even the humble farmhouse tells a story of great ingenuity.
The Limestone Heritage is a family run enterprise and is the brainchild of Mr. Emanuel Baldacchino, a quarryman by trade, and is the son of the former President of the Quarry Owners Association of Malta. His family has been running and operating quarries for a number of generations. And his wife Anne-Marie, is the daughter of a leading building contractor who made his fortune in the building boom of the 1960s. Her grandfather and his ancestors were builders.
With great care and patience, they transformed a disused limestone quarry into a magnificent showcase for this very ancient craft. From all over Malta, they collected exhibits that otherwise would have gone lost forever. They created a venue that was different that could bring together the old and the new, and that would enhance the natural environment of the Maltese Countryside.
At The Limestone Heritage one can stroll through 20,000,000 years of natural and human history.
The latest technology has been blended with wide-open spaces, surrounded by landscaping; to assure that a visit to The Limestone Heritage is truly interesting and relaxing.
Multi-lingual walk through give detailed information about the various exhibits, the impressive dioramas and meticulous re-constructions, set in an outdoor environment and framed against the impressive walls of a limestone quarry. A typical Maltese citrus grove and a 30-foot high waterfall enliven the atmosphere with the smell of oranges and the sound of cascading water.
The Limestone Heritage is fully air-conditioned, and equipped to cater also for people with special need, it includes a state of art auditorium with multi lingual show that introduces the subject to the visitors. There are also some other indoor exhibits, a souvenir shop and a cafeteria.
It is an experience, which this family wants to share with you.