A Wealth of Interest for Tourists (Gozo)

Member Name: meah

Product:	Gozo
Date:	15/10/01 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An abundance of places to see and things to do

Disadvantages: None

Gozo is the second largest of the Maltese Islands, it measures only about 9 miles long by 4 miles wide and although it is a small island there is a wealth of interesting places to visit. Most people holiday on Malta and go across the Gozo for the day and therefore do not have time to fully appreciate what Gozo has to offer.

To get to Gozo you can take the ferry from Pieta or Circkewwa on Malta or alternatively you can go by helicopter from Luqa airport, Malta to Ghanjsielem, Gozo. I hired a car on Malta and decided to spend a day on Gozo so I took the ferry from Circkewwa, it’s about five mile across the channel to Mgarr harbour on Gozo. The ferry journey takes you past the small island of Comino and the even smaller uninhabited islet of Cominetto.

As you enter Mgarr harbour you cannot help but notice the beautiful small brightly coloured Maltese fishing boats called luzzas. Up on the hill overlooking the harbour is the huge impressive church of Our Lady of Lourdes and the view dominates the port.

After driving off the ferry from Magrr harbour the road climbs a steep hill past the Gozo Heritage building where a documentary on the history of the island is screened, there are displays, a coffee shop and souvenir shop, you need to spend around an hour and a half in here to do it justice.

After Gozo Heritage follow the road to Xewkija, in this village you will find the church of St. John the Baptist with a dome as huge as that of Mosta dome on Malta. The church is also know as the church within a church because when the new church was built it used the old 17th century church as its scaffolding and part of the old church can still be seen inside the new church; the new church was started in the early 1950’s but not completed until 1971. The church stands in a large square in the centre of the village with car parking facilities in the square, take time to sit in the square and talk with the locals, most of them speak v
ery good English and enjoy talking to tourists.

From Xewkija you continue along the road to Victoria (also known as Rabat) the capital of Gozo. Victoria is a town of narrow streets lined with old houses with beautiful balconies. There is an abundance of places to see in Victoria and I decided to return to Gozo another day to give this little town a full day to itself to do it justice and therefore I will also write an opinion about Victoria at a later date.

Drive through Victoria and follow the main road heading to San Lawrenz to Ta’Pinu basilica. This church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and it is an important place of pilgrimage for the Maltese and Gozotian people; it is said two peasants had visitations from the Virgin Mary and miracles followed. The church stands alone in acres of countryside and dominates the landscape and Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage here.

After visiting Ta’Pinu rejoin the main road and carry on to the craft village at Ta’Dbiegl, here you will find traditional handicrafts for sale including lace, filigree silver and gold jewellery, traditional wood carvings and knit wear such as Aran type cardigans and jumpers for about £3 each, which wash really well; everything is for sale at extremely reasonable prices.

When you have finished at the craft village rejoin the road and head towards Dweja Bay. This is probably the wildest and most beautiful part of Gozo. At Dweja Bay you will find Fungus Rock, which was named because of the plant, which grows on it, the plant used to be dried out and used to treat haemorrhages and dysentery and was so important to the island at one time that it was guarded around the clock.

At Dweja Bay you will also find the Inland Sea, this is a salt lake enclosed by high cliffs and linked by a natural tunnel to the sea. The locals run boat trips for tourists across the lake and through the tunnel out to the Mediterranean Sea and back. About
three minutes walk from the Inland Sea you come to the Blue Window, also known as the Azure Window, this is a natural arched opening in the rock over the sea. I don’t know what it is about this area but the sea here is a magnificent turquoise blue and crystal clear. The views in here are spectacular. There is ample car parking facilities and a small gift shop and snack bar.

After Dweja Bay head back towards Victoria and you will come to the village of Xaghra and here you can explore two caves adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. From Xaghra follow the road to the old fishing village of Marsalforn. This is a lovely village with street cafes, a market and a harbour full of colourful luzza fishing boats.

From Marsalforn follow the road back towards Victoria and then onto Mgarr harbour for the ferry back to Malta. I have hired a car and been to Gozo on three occasions, this opinion describes one my visits, and I believe there are still things for me to see on Gozo. The first thing you notice about Gozo is that it is so much greener than Malta. There are some really nice hotels on Gozo in some beautiful little resorts and I believe a twin centre holiday of one week on Malta and one week on Gozo would be ideal. This would give you the opportunity to see all of Gozo, have a day on Comino and visit a lot of the places of interest on Malta.

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