Pietà is a small town of around 3,000 population located on the outskirts of the capital city of Malta, Valletta.
Pietà is the next suburb closest to the capital after Floriana. Its name is derived from Italian and signifies "mercy". The Maltese national hospital, St. Luke's, is located in Pietà, as well as the University of Malta Medical School. Pietà is a coastal town, and an old boathouse of notable historic interest is located here on the waterfront. Also of historic interest, and visible in several medieval prints, is the little chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, which dates from the seventeenth century; it is still in active use today. Pietà is a departure point for ferries to Gozo and Sicily, and the patrol boat depot of the Armed Forces of Malta is also located here. Within the boundaries of Pietà there is the hamlet of Gwardamangia. This colourful suburb also hosts St. Ursuline's Orphanage and PBS, the national broadcaster. It also hosts Villa Guardamangia, which served as a residence for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II when she honeymooned in Malta. Pieta also hosts part of the Ta' Braxia Cemetery Complex which is a Commonwealth Landmark Site. Many World War and Garrison veterans from the British army and navy are buried there. The population of Pieta' and its hamlet has increased encouragingly over the past few years, thanks to a new housing estate and the redeveloment of old homes over the past 30 years. It is now close 4500.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0%2C_Malta under GFDL
