Giovanni Battista Vertova : diplomacy, warfare and military engineering practice in early seventeenth-century Malta [Book Review]

Abstract

Authored by Denis De Lucca, head of Architecture and Director of the International Institute for Baroque Studies at the University of Malta, this excellently researched and beautifully illustrated book, published by Midsea Books Ltd, covers three main themes, all related to the defence of Malta in the early seventeenth century. As implied in the title, the main thrust of this new book concerns the life history of a forgotten brillian military engineer-Count Giovanni Battista Vertova of Bergamo (1592-1647)- who became a Knight of Malta in 1617 and who, through his excellent connexions with other members of his profession in neighbouring Italy, served well the interests of the Order of St John at a crucial point in its history when the Knights were determined to strengthen the fortifications of Valletta and build the outworks of Floriana and Cospicua.