Extended hours and price reduced for National Museum of Natural History and Domvs Romana during Medieval Mdina

To celebrate Medieval Mdina, between 29 and 30 April, Heritage Malta will extend the opening hours of the National Museum of Natural History and the Domvs Romana. Both sites can be visited with a heavily reduced combined ticket of €2.

The Domvs Romana, situated just outside the walls of the city of Mdina, does not only preserve some of the most precious Roman remains but also allows visitors to get a glimpse of life in a Roman domestic household.

Apart from showing the complex history of the site, the current museum display is in fact designed to take the visitor through the various aspects of a Roman family and household with aspects ranging from the actual division of roles in a Roman family, to fashion, education, entertainment, food and drink.

Visitors will also get the chance to view the polychrome mosaics that originally adorned the house’s peristyle and the surrounding rooms. Constructed using two types of tesserae, opus vermiculatum (very small tesserae) and opus tesselatum (larger tesserae), these mosaics are regarded among the finest mosaics in the central Mediterranean.

The National Museum of Natural History is situated in Mdina in an 18th century palace, built by Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. In fact this building is still known as Vilhena Palace. In the early 20th century the palace was converted into a hospital until it was closed down in 1956. Following extensive restoration, the National Museum of Natural History was inaugurated in June 1973.

The main responsibility of the museum is the acquisition, collection, conservation and study of natural history specimens, especially those originating from the Maltese Islands. The current display areas in the museum cover various topics such as Maltese geology and palaeontology (fossils), small island habitats, marina fauna, insects, shells and birds, and other topics like human evo- lution.

The Medieval Mdina Festival will be organised in the streets of Mdina by the local council. During this two-day event there will be reenactments by foreign and local groups, Medieval music, sbandieratori, illusionists, jesters, falconry and birds of prey, lectures, concerts, a Medieval market, Medieval kitchen and a children’s area.

On Saturday, 29 April the National Museum of Natural History and Domvs Romana will open between 9am and 8.15pm, last admission at 7.30pm, while on Sunday, 30 April, the two museums will open between 9am and 5pm, last admission at 4.30pm. Both sites can be visited by a combined ticket of €2.

For this occasion, those who want to become members of Heritage Malta can benefit from a 10% discount. More information about Heritage Malta activities can be found on www.heritagemalta.org