The Verdala Palace is the official summer residence of the President of Malta. It was built by Grandmaster Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle in 1586 on the site of a hunting lodge previously owned by Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette. The palace is known for its surrounding boschetto, which is a large semi-landscaped area that was used by the Knights of Malta for game hunting. The palace was embellished over the years by Grandmaster Giovanni Paolo Lascaris and Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena. It is also surrounded by a stone quarried ditch. The building itself is two floors high and has five storey towers at each corner.