Balconies are everywhere on Malta island

The closed wooden balcony is a prominent element of the Maltese townscape. They are almost everywhere, notably in Valletta and Floriana, as well as in all town and village centres, and come in a variety of forms, sizes, and colors. Since medieval times, open stone balconies have been a characteristic of Malta, with some of the earliest examples still standing in some areas, most notably Gharb in Gozo.,The origins of closed balconies are unknown, with some assuming a Spanish origin while others pointing to a more plausible North African influence. Regardless, they have become a Maltese institution.

The emergence of low-cost aluminum in the 1970s and 1980s was a terrible enticement for some owners to convert their aged, perhaps decaying, wooden balconies into maintenance-free aluminum boxes, which were clearly not very attractive but were cost-effective for the hard-pressed owners. Fortunately, the Planning Authority has countered this with funds for balcony rehabilitation, which has gone a long way toward keeping the unique Maltese balcony a permanent component of the urban landscape.