THE STAIRCASE
The large murals on the stairs were painted by Maltese artist Ramiro Calì (1884-1947). They represent 'Electricity' (observe the wires and electric bulb) and 'Agriculture'. The beautiful sister of the artist, Margaret was the lady of the house after 1918 when she married Anthony Cassar Torreggiani O.B.E. miller, banker and entrepreneur. The portrait of the lady in a straw hat is of Marchioness de Piro by Mary de Piro. The watercolour is Louisa daughter of the house wearing the traditional faldetta. The engraving which includes a Maltese dog is by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873).

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THE CHAPEL
The house chapel adjoins the Sala Grande. The Palladian structure is wood made to simulate marble. It came to the present family by descent from Paolo Sceberras Testaferrata and his wife Maria Angelica Perdicomati Bologna. The picture of Our Lady of Sorrows hanging below the painting of the Crucifixion is by Ignatius Stern (1680-1748). There are 18th century pictures of St Rita and St Lucy. On show are some relics, chalices, papal buskins and many other items of memorabilia including a silver statuette of St Quentin presented to Pope Leo XIII.

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THE SALA GRANDE
The Sala Grande is the tallest room in the house. The chandelier is from Bohemia, now the Czech Republic - it was made for candles and dates to the late 18th century.

On the pink and mustard-coloured walls hang some significant paintings.

The two portraits of popes are of Clement XI (on the left) and Clement XIV both of whom bestowed important ecclesiastical privileges on the Maltese clergy. Clement XI was a member of the famous Albani family of Rome. He is painted here by Carlo Maratta. The de Piro family lent money to the Albanis in the early 18th century. Other pictures of interest are the self-portrait of the court painter Antoine Favray (1706-1798) signed and dated in Constantinople in 1763. The elegant Maltese lady with the wimple hanging over the inlaid roll top desk is a member of the Sceberras family, a work attributed to Francesco Zahra (1710-1773). The Flemish artist Willem Benson (flourishing 1551-1564) painted the Madonna and Child on panels.

The large black lacquer 18th century bureau is in fact a portable chapel. Its appearance, when shut, is not too religious, however, when open it becomes a fully functioning chapel. The altar-front bears the coat of arms of a Maltese nobleman, Marquis Pandolfo Testaferrata de Noto (1736-1816). It is decorated with pictures of exotic birds and flora, and also panels depicting St Francis Xavier in China and in the company of Indians of Goa. Portable chapels could be moved into a bedroom so that a mother, immediately after giving birth, could be present at the baptism of her child. A portable chapel could also be transported to country residences for the summer season.

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THE WINTER DINING ROOM
The table and chairs you see here are Florentine. The landscapes are typical 17th century Maltese in their original carved frames. The two putti represent young Cupid and Vulcan and are by Thomas Barker of Bath (1769-1847). Above the enfilade doors are two allegorical paintings representing 'Love' and 'Time'. The Pompeian decoration was designed and executed by Arthur Rose.

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THE ARCHIVES
The Archivum de Piro comprises an extensive private family collection of documents and records and is an extremely important historical record of business, lawsuits and marriage in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Grand Master Perellos ennobled the de Piro family with the Barony of Budach in 1716 and later in 1742 Philip V of Spain created Gio Pio de Piro, the 1st Marquis de Piro. The 1st Baron and 1st Marquis was a lawyer. There are surviving bills of lading as well as bills for transactions in which Giovanni Pio de Piro is selling Muslims to a Muslim trader called Raïs. There are hundreds of documents relating to the running of the Maltese state palaces. He invested in land, ships and cargoes of textiles, grain, sugar, rice, coffee and cocoa. In the various cupboards are seals, documents, pens and other items of interest.

On the table in the middle of the room is the carved wooden statue of St Paul, patron saint of Malta. This 17th century carving is probably the model for the famous statue of St Paul by Melchiorre Gafà in the Church of St Paul Shipwrecked in Valletta. Note the snake at St Paul's feet: this is to emphasise the story of his arrival in Malta described in the Acts of the Apostles. The legend is that since Paul was bitten, there have been no poisonous snakes on the islands.

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THE FOUR-POSTER BEDROOM
In this room is one of the principal treasures of the house. It is a gilded sedan chair made for Frà Victor Nicolas de Vachon Belmont a French Knight of Malta. He became Captain General of the Galleys from October 13th 1764 to January 9th 1766. You can see his coat of arms on the front door of the vehicle.

The bed was Orsola de Piro d'Amico's matrimonial bed. She married in 1867 and produced nine children: seven boys and two girls. All survived. Two became priests and one may well become a saint.

There is an 18th Century shaving bowl and the chamber pot is Venetian blown glass and is also over two hundred years old.
The Pre-Raphaelite picture is of the Roman martyr St Rufina. It was painted by the famous Maltese artist Giuseppe Calí (1846-1930), Marquis de Piro's great-grandfather. He decorated many churches including the interior of the rotunda at Mosta, the Church of St Francis in Valletta and the Dominican Church around the corner from this house. The other pictures are of the Bambino of Aracœli covered in jewellery, and the large Madonna and Child is from the studio of Francesco de Mura (1696-1782) of Naples.

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THE GREEN ROOM
The portrait of Sir Giuseppe Maria de Piro G.C.M.G., 4th Baron of Budach is by Charles Allingham. The 4th Baron was the first Maltese man to command a British regiment. His military commission hangs under his portrait. His wife Antonia Moscati Gatto Xara, Baroness of Benwarrad was also painted by Allingham. The small 18th century portrait of the baby (this may have been a boy) has been attributed to the painter Antoine Favray whose self-portrait you have seen in the Sala Grande. The Maltese gentleman in blue uniform is General Michele Sceberras Testaferrata. He wears the Royal Bavarian Order of St George about his neck. The decoration was given to him by Maximilian I Joseph first King of Bavaria. He was entrusted with the education of the Crown Prince and was Chamberlain to the Royal Court of Bavaria. Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata the Maltese cardinal was his elder brother. The portrait above is of a young Igino de Piro, 7th Baron of Budach. He is wearing his red British Army uniform. He fought at the famous Siege of Ladysmith in the South African Boer War of 1899-1901.

The colourful blown-glass chandelier is Venetian and was made for candles. The carved console tables are 18th century Maltese.

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THE LIBRARY
This room has the famous Lascaris Panels. They were painted during the reign of Grand Master Lascaris (1636-1657). They are reputed to have decorated his ship. All the scenes are fantasy. Many Italian artists of the 17th century liked to paint imaginary scenes in order to produce a more dramatic or even romantic landscape.

In the corner is a Maltese clock. It is early and very simple; it was made with only one hand indicating the time and needs to be wound up three times a day. There are several portraits here including one of Sir Walter Scott who visited Malta in 1831 and a rare picture of Samuel Taylor Coleridge who was on the island in 1804. A portrait of Grand Master Manoel de Rohan Polduc (1775-1797) and another of the last Grand Master to rule Malta the German Ferdinand Hompesch (1797-1798) who was ignominiously ousted by Napoleon in 1798. Between them is Cardinal Portocarrero who is considered a founding father of the National library.

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THE PORPHYRY ROOM
The ceiling is original - a surviving wooden soffit which is over 400 years old.

The bureau-bookcase with its fine marquetry is an outstanding example of 17th century Maltese furniture. It bears the arms of the Lascaris family. It is said that this bureau originally came from the State Collection and was sold off at the time of the French Occupation of Malta.

This room houses most of the family portraits some of which you can see on the Family History Page. Another fascinating portrait depicts a child, Marchesa Francesca Xara and was probably painted in connection with a marriage contract. The mountain in the background is symbolic of her family property in Sicily (we have no mountains in Malta). Her cheeks and hands have been painted to make her look chubby, a sign of health in the 18th century. She is also wearing a lot of coral jewellery to protect her from the Evil Eye.

In this room you can also see the large 17th canvas of St Nicasius who was one of the heroes and an early martyr of the Order of St John.

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THE BLUE ROOM
The surgical implements in this room are unique: they are the only doctor's instruments to have survived from the Hospitaller Order in silver from the 18th century. They were made in the reign of the French Grand Master Manuel de Rohan Polduc. The velvet case is original. The Knights of Malta as well as being a military and a religious order were also very advanced in surgery. They could operate on a cataract of the eyes and also remove a gallstone. Their hospital housed the largest ward in Europe and could look after over 600 patients.

There is some antique Maltese silver in the showcase such as the coconut tobacco jars with the silver-gilt cockerel finials. The cockerel was the heraldic emblem of the noble family of Gargallo one of whom was a notorious Bishop of Malta.
This room also has a collection of modern paintings.

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THE SUMMER DINING ROOM
This dining room is an art nouveau addition to the house. The table has been laid out with silver and china and Maltese lace. The tablemats are embroidered with the family coat of arms and the wineglasses are engraved with the family crest.
The large gilt mirror is Maltese and bears the arms of 'd'Amico Inguanez'.

The Carrara marble statue of the goddess Diana dominates the far end of the room. The trompe l'oeil behind the statue produces an exaggerated perspective and gives the impression that the space is longer.

There are more family portraits in this room, two of which are by Edward Caruana Dingli (1876-1950) - they are of the 8th Baron and his Baroness, Philomena Cassar Torreggiani at the time of their marriage in 1938. On the other side of the room is a portrait of Monica de Piro daughter of the 7th Baron of Budach, painted by Sir Harold Acton's father, Arthur Acton in Florence in about 1931.

The series of pictures along the top of the long wall are by Doris Zinkeisen some of whose work can be seen at the Tate Gallery. There are more modern paintings by Evelyn Gibbs and John Bratby.

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