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Gozo and Malta are connected by a 10 minute helicopter service by a 20 minute ferry trip across the wide Channel that separates the Is lands. Gozo is only a third of Malta's size and is far less densely populated and generally greener and quieter.
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The Island was first inhabited by temple builders, the same people who built Malta's megalithic temples at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra some 5,000 years ago. Across the Island there is evidence of pre-historic cultures including Ggantija, the oldest temple on the Islands, and settlements and artefacts from Roman times have also been unearthed.
Gozo is essentially an island of fishermen and farmers. The tourist development that started in the 1960s in Malta has made less of an impression here. Gozo maintains its own identity neatly combining the demands of modern luxury hotels, nightclubs and restaurants with the needs of visitors who wish simply to get away from it all. |
The Gozitan landscape is dominated by flat topped hills separated by neatly terraced fields and valleys. Almost all the villages are on hilltops and these sites were originally chosen for their protective stance as pirate raids were a regular occurrence until the 18th century when the islanders were captured to be sold as slaves.
The beaches - small coves with smooth white rocks or wide areas of soft sand - provide excellent swimming in clear waters and are all worth visiting. Although small in size, there is plenty to see and do in Gozo. In Victoria (formerly Rabat) its capital, ands the Citadel, built on the most strategic point of the Island in the 15th century, and further fortified by the Knights in 1565. It houses the Cathedral completed in 1711 and a number of museums.Although comparatively small the charming Baroque cathedral has a splendid trompe-l'oeil dome by Antonio Manuele. Also in the Citadel are the Museum of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum and the Armoury.
| This huge vaulted hall was believed to have been the Knights' Armoury and now displays a vast array of weapons.
Beneath its superb bastions are some very impressive historic buildings some of which are being retored. One, known as the Roman House has been meticulously renovated and now houses the Folklore Museum.
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COMINO
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This idyllic island is nearly 3sq km in size and has a population of four!
There is an old fort, a tiny hamlet beneath the 17th century watchtower, a small abandoned walled cemetery, a chapel and a luxury hotel complex. |
Swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving in Comino's waters is idyllic. The Island's famous Blue Lagoon - is barred to seacraft in the summer months.
There is no traffic on the Island although bicycles can be hired, as can paddle-boats and sailing dinghies at the Hotel. For most of the year the landscape is covered with wild flowers and thyme and populated with small wild life, butterflies and birds. |
