Romeo Romano set to host hands-on educational centre

The national waste agency Wasteserv is planning to transform the Grandmaster’s gardener’s house in Romeo Romano garden in Santa Venera, into an ‘educational centre’ run by Nature Trust, after controversial plans for a commercial restaurant were dropped last year.

Once the works are completed, the educational centre will be run by environmental NGO Nature Trust, which will offer children a hands-on learning experience on environmental sustainability.

In December a first phase was completed which included the restoration on the walls, fountains and pathways, as well as the inclusion of a discreet playground. This phase also included the cleaning and restoration of the underground water reservoir, the 19th-century ‘sienja’ and the water channels along the pathways.

The second phase will include the restoration of the Grandmaster gardener’s house so that it can house the Nature Trust educational centre, tagged as a €1 million investment in educational activities for both children and adults on the importance of the natural environment, sustainability and proper waste management.

The multi-sensory learning experience will also include planting and tree trimming activities, and include an autism-friendly area.

The project will also include breakout rooms that can host workshops and meetings, and two multi-purpose halls to hold seminars and training sessions.

A weather station with remote access will be installed at roof level where the data collected will be shown on a dashboard and used for educational purposes. Information boards will explain how rainwater is collected and reused in the garden.

Wasteserv said the reservoir stands as testimony of “the valuable practice of collecting and storing rainwater has always been highly regarded in semi-arid Mediterranean climates such as Malta”.

The sienja, erected in the 19th century to draw water from this reservoir, consists of a belt made up of small buckets that are attached to an axle, which is then rotated by animal power such as mules and donkeys. Whilst the belt is turning, it collects water from the reservoir in small buckets, and fed through an irrigation system consisting of stone channels. These channels allow water to travel all around the garden to irrigate the numerous citrus trees.