Strada Stretta was a Maltese

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

that aired on

Television Malta Television Malta (; TVM) (formerly known as ''Malta Television Service;'' MTV and ''Xandir Malta'') is a Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network in Malta operated by the Public broadcasting, national broadcaster, Public Broadcasti ...

between 2015 and 2017. The first episode was released on September 28, 2015 and from the start it generated a nostalgic feeling among the Maltese. As the name implies the setting of the series took place in Strada Stretta, a historic street in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

, the capital of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. The series takes the viewers to the social and historical realities of 1957, with a plot based on the incidents recorded on a diary that was found in 2015 during refurbishing works on a pub in the eponymous street. The actual setting is based on history books, while the story of this series is based on contextual creativity. Statistics show that approximately 112,000

Maltese people The Maltese () people are an ethnic group native to Malta who speak Maltese, a Semitic language with a substantial Romance superstratum, and share a common Maltese history and culture characterised by Roman Catholicism, which remains the ...

watched the series, which is approximately a quarter of the entire population of Malta.

Plot

Sylvana a young business woman in 2015 is refurbishing an old bar in Strada Stretta (, ), a street in

which was formerly infamous for being the city's red light district. During the renovations, a personal diary that belonged to a woman (Lydia) in 1957, is found. Lydia's diary transports the series' viewers back to 1957 when she takes the decision to leave her gilded cage and controlling mother in search of a better life with her lover, leaving a life of luxury behind her for the freedom she yearns for. However, when she finds herself stranded and abandoned in Valletta she befriends Lilly, a bubbly young barmaid who works and lives in the street, who hosts her in return of giving her reading and writing lessons. Strait Street is shown in its former glory when

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and murder were commonly associated with the street making it infamous with conservative values at the time. We meet many other personalities, real or fictitious who take us back to this cultural and musical mecca. The series is mainly set in Strada Stretta and

Casa Rocca Piccola Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace in Malta, and home of the noble Maltese family de Piro. It is situated in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. There are daily tours from 10am till 5pm (last admission 4pm). The palace includes a BnB w ...

in Valletta, and other locations in Malta, such as Villa Blye in Paola.

Cast

* Taryn Mamo Cefai as Lydia * Ben Camille as Mario *Jane Marshall as Marie * Daniel Azzopardi as Guido * Deandra Agius as Lilly * Doriana Portelli as Angela * John Grech as Oscar * Pauline Fenech as Polly * Frank Vella as Reno * Stephanie Agius as Stella * Andrei Grech as Alvio * Louise Doneo as Lucia *John Peel as Wigi * Naomi Said as Victoria * Rene Pace as Guzeppi * Rachel Lynn as Carmen * Aiken Buhagiar as Victor * Lawrence Buontempo as Johnny * Loriannd D'Ugo as Violet * Jerry Mallia as Gian Marie * Josef Mizzi as Carmelo * Neville Refalo as Twanny * Simon Tabone as Gianni * Laura Vella as Sylvana * Shelley Spiteri as Julia * Steven Dalli as Nenu Zaghzugh * Carmelo Gauci as Nenu Anzjan * Frederick Testa as Arturo *Joseph Farrugia as Dun Rafel

References

{{reflist Maltese television shows 2015 television series debuts Television shows filmed in Malta