Antoine de Paule builds a country villa
Before becoming Grand Master, Antoine de Paule established a country residence in Attard, close to other rural estates of the Order.
Malta · Parks & Reserves
San Anton Gardens
A seventeenth-century palace garden in Attard - formal avenues, fountains, citrus groves, monumental trees and one of Malta's best-known green escapes.
A palace garden turned public refuge
San Anton is one of those rare Maltese places where architecture, horticulture and everyday public life sit comfortably inside the same walls.
The gardens developed around the country villa of Antoine de Paule, who became Grand Master of the Order of St John in 1623. After his election he enlarged the residence into what became Sant'Anton Palace and expanded the surrounding gardens.
Today the palace is the official residence of the President of Malta, while part of the historic garden has been open to the public since 1885. Formal paths cut between old trees, citrus groves, flower beds, ponds, fountains and architectural features.
Garden profile
- Type
- Historic formal garden
- Setting
- Sant'Anton Palace estate
- Character
- Fountains, groves & avenues
- Known for
- Citrus, old trees & peacocks
- Public since
- 1885
- Best for
- Slow walks & photography
From country villa to presidential garden
Four centuries around Sant'Anton Palace
The garden's story follows the changing role of the palace - from a Grand Master's country retreat to a state residence.
The villa becomes a palace
On his election as Grand Master, de Paule enlarged the residence and developed the surrounding gardens, including orange and citrus planting.
A political headquarters
During the Maltese uprising against the French, Sant'Anton Palace served as headquarters of the Maltese National Assembly.
The public enters the gardens
During the British period, part of the gardens was formally opened to the public, beginning the role San Anton still plays today.
A state garden still in use
The palace remains the official residence of Malta's President, while the public gardens continue to function as a historic green space in Attard.
The name
Sant'Anton reflects Antoine de Paule's patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua. The name outlived the Grand Master and became attached to both the palace and its gardens.
The gardens
Reading San Anton as a designed landscape
The garden feels lush and informal at first glance, but its bones are highly structured: straight walks, planned intersections, fountains and planted compartments.
The bigger picture
A garden organised by paths and water
The official palace history describes fountains and exedrae placed at the intersections of geometrically planned walkways. Those axes still give San Anton its rhythm: long views, sudden garden rooms and recurring stone-and-water focal points.
Citrus groves remain one of the estate's signatures. Historically, fruit from the gardens was presented to visiting dignitaries, and citrus is still harvested from the palace grounds today.
San Anton Gardens map. Tap to open full-screen.
Long axes and garden rooms
Straight paths and carefully placed intersections create the formal framework beneath the dense planting.
Fountains as landmarks
Fountains, basins and ponds punctuate the route and give otherwise green spaces a strong architectural focus.
Old trees, citrus and ornamentals
Mature trees, palms, flowering plants and productive citrus groves make the gardens feel both botanical and domestic.
Details to keep an eye out for
San Anton rewards a slower walk. Look past the main avenue and the garden begins to reveal smaller layers.
Why it matters
More than a decorative garden
San Anton sits at the meeting point of Malta's political history, horticultural tradition and everyday public space.
A garden still tied to the palace
Unlike a modern municipal park, San Anton developed as part of a working residence. The relationship between palace, garden, citrus and ceremony is still visible.
That continuity gives the site unusual depth: this is not simply a preserved garden style, but a landscape that has remained connected to state life for centuries.
Plants, water and public memory
Mature trees, fountains and groves are part of the heritage fabric just as much as walls and monuments. They need active care rather than static preservation.
That is especially relevant now, as restoration and conservation works are being carried out in phases across the gardens.
Visit planner
A slow circuit through the gardens
This is not a rigid route. Use the four stages as a way of noticing how the garden changes as you move away from the main axis.
Choose a stage
Start with the formal garden
Use the straight paths to understand the underlying geometry before wandering into the side spaces.
- Walk one of the principal axes slowly rather than treating it as a shortcut.
- Look at the symmetry of paths, clipped edges and planted beds.
- Use the palace walls and fountains as visual anchors.
Follow the water features
Fountains and ponds turn intersections into small architectural rooms.
- Pause at the larger ornamental fountains instead of only photographing them from the path.
- Notice how stone, water and vegetation frame each other.
- Look for birds and other garden wildlife around quieter basins.
Move beneath the old canopy
The garden becomes less architectural and more botanical as you focus on the trees and citrus.
- Look for the contrast between palms, broad-canopied mature trees and clipped planting.
- Spend time around the citrus groves - they are part of the historic identity of the palace estate.
- Keep an eye out for the resident peacocks moving between paths and planting.
Finish where garden meets state history
The palace itself is not simply a backdrop: it explains why this garden exists in the first place.
- Look for glimpses of palace architecture through the trees and walls.
- Notice how formal features become denser closer to the historic residence.
- Before visiting, check for temporary closures or diversions caused by restoration works or official events.
September 2026: conservation, maintenance and restoration works are under way in phases. Individual areas may be inaccessible while work is taking place, so expect the exact walking route to change temporarily.
Gallery
Inside San Anton
Peacocks, old paths, fountains and the palace - a few details from around the gardens.
Personal notes
My Experience
Some of my earliest memories are here. I remember coming to San Anton when I was young, and those memories are still incredibly close and dear to my heart.
There is something about this place that feels timeless. The old, uneven and sometimes broken steps, the worn paths and the slightly imperfect edges have barely changed in the way I remember them. To someone else, parts of it might feel neglected. To me, they feel familiar.
It is one of those rare places where age does not make it feel tired. It makes it feel preserved. Walking through San Anton now feels a little like stepping back into childhood - not because everything is exactly the same, but because enough of it still is.
Further reading & official information
The Office of the President gives the clearest history of Sant'Anton Palace and its gardens. A 2026 government update explains the current phased conservation project.