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Gozo - the island of charm and beauty |
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Written by jane69
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Monday, 11 April 2005 |
 | | The sunset on Gozo Island |
Three delightfully contrasting islands make up the Maltese Islands. Their story goes back to pre-history when, these formed part of a land bridge that joined Europe to North Africa. Over the centuries Gozo was ruled by the powerful nations of the time, including Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Arabs. It was the Knights of the Order of St. John however, who left a lasting impact on the island.
Gozo is a third the size of Malta, but greener and more rural. Its landscape has hills and deep valleys as well as rugged cliffs, which give natural protection to the island’s small harbors and inlets. Life here moves at a leisurely pace, revolving around farming and fishing. There are sand and smooth rocky beaches for relaxation, and clear save waters for swimming.
 | | Comino Island |
To get to Gozo is easy. You take a 45 minute ferry trip from Malta’s northernmost point at Cirkewwa, during which you sail past the smallest island Comino with its glorious Blue Lagoon, just visible through a narrow entrance in the rock coastline. Comino’s total area measures about 1,55 sq miles and it has only eight permanent residents. There is no traffic, no noise, and for most of the year its rock landscape is covered with wild flowers and thyme. Who loves the sea, loves Comino.
 | | Victoria citadel |
You arrive by the ferry boat at Gozo’s harbor Mgarr. A visit to Gozo should begin in Victoria, the Gozo’s capital. Victoria was named after the English monarch Queen Victoria, to commemorate her Silver Jubilee in 1897. Even today, many locals still call it by its original name, Rabat. In city you found the Citadel (also known as the Gran Castello or the Cittadella) from mediaeval era. Not to be missed are the superb views across the island Gozo from the battlements (the Citadel is the highest point of Gozo). Within its walls lies the Cathedral designed by Lorenzo Gafa, built between 1697 and 1711. An earthquake in 1693 damaged many of the mediaeval buildings within the walls, but these are now being restored.
 | | Ggantija megalithic temple |
The megalithic temples of Ggantija are situated near the village of Xaghra. The temples´ gigantic rocks weigh several tons and those used in the outer walls reach as high as 20 feet. How the people of those days were able to move them with their primitive tools is a mystery. According to local legend, a female giant called Sunsuna carried the rocks on her head from Ta’Cenc, a considerable distance away. The temples are considered to be oldest freestanding stone construction in the world. The Ggantija megalithic temples were built around 3 500 B.C., a thousand years before the earliest pyramid in Egypt (around 2800 BC) and Stonehenge in England (around 2400 BC).
In addition to Ggantija there are other interesting sites. There is the "menhir" at Qala, a second temple close to Ggantija and teples at both tal-Qighan and ta’ Marziena. At Ta’Cenc one can find what are thought to be prehistoric cart ruts etched deep into the hard rock and leading off the cliffs edge. Their origin and use have still to be established.
 In the small town of Xaghra are two underground caves with strange alabaster forms of stalactites and stalagmites. These are popularly known as Xerri’s Grotto and Ninu’s Grotto. Close to Xaghra and overlooking the red sands of Gozo’s finest beach, Ramla I-Hamra, is mythic Calypso’s Cave, assumed by many to be the cave referred to by Homer in “The Odyssey”. Some are convinced that Gozo is the island of Ogygia and the cave to be the one where the beautiful nymph Calypso kept Odysseus as “a prisoner of love” for seven years. Calypso promised Odysseus immortality if he would remain with her but he escaped and returned to his wife Penelope. The cave’s interior and exterior are not too impressive but the view is magnificent.  | | The Fungus Rock at Dwejra point |
At Dwejra point on Gozo’s south-west coast is a superb natural phenomenon, the Inland Sea. Set it in a deep recess in the rock coast, the Inland Sea is a large expanse of shallow water linked to the sea outside through a narrow tunnel in the cliffs. Divers often use the Inland Sea as their shore base for exploring some of the most exciting deep water on Gozo. Near the Inland sea stands proudly and menacingly in the sweeping bay Fungus Rock, known also as il-Gebla tal-General (The General’s Rock ). It was here that Fungus Gaulitanus, a fungus much prized by the Knights for its medicinal powers, once grew. This rare plant was for centuries kept under constant guard and anyone caught stealing it was instantly put to death.  | | The Azure Window |
The Azure Window was created by waves and rough seas breaking on the rocks over a period of thousands of years. On the top of two giant columns of rock, each with a diameter of about 131 feet, rests a huge ledge of rock measuring about 328 feet in length and 66 feet in height, forming a giant window through which one can see the azure waters of the sea beyond. For the centuries the Gozitans have known this rare rock formation as it-Tiega (the Window).
 | | The Basilica of Ta?Pinu |
The votive Basilica of Ta’Pinu stands in open country close to the village of Gharb and it is a centre of pilgrimage. Its origins date back to June 22, 1883, when a peasant woman, Carmela Grima, heard the voice of the Blessed Virgin talking to her in an old chapel. A friend, Frangisk Portelli, also heard the voice. In the following years the place became a Holy shrine. It was then decided to build a larger and more magnificent church in honour of the Blessed Virgin. In 1931 the church was consecrated and a year later Pope Pius XI conferred on it the status of Basilica.
 | | The sunset by Basilica of Ta?Pinu |
At Xewkija, dominating the village and landscape, is the church of St. John. It has what is reputed to be the third largest unsupported dome in Europe, known as Rotunda. Its construction started in 1952 and is based on the design of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice.
Gozo is a place to escape to at any time of the year, if you are in holiday in Malta. The people are welcoming and friendly, the countryside dramatic and picturesque and if you want to get away from it all, you can. It has all the essential ingredients that make it an ideal holiday destination. Come to Gozo and discover undiscovered paradise. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 18 December 2005 )
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In the small town of Xaghra are two underground caves with strange alabaster forms of stalactites and stalagmites. These are popularly known as Xerri’s Grotto and Ninu’s Grotto. Close to Xaghra and overlooking the red sands of Gozo’s finest beach, Ramla I-Hamra, is mythic Calypso’s Cave, assumed by many to be the cave referred to by Homer in “The Odyssey”. Some are convinced that Gozo is the island of Ogygia and the cave to be the one where the beautiful nymph Calypso kept Odysseus as “a prisoner of love” for seven years. Calypso promised Odysseus immortality if he would remain with her but he escaped and returned to his wife Penelope. The cave’s interior and exterior are not too impressive but the view is magnificent. ;)
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