Day 20 A day in Gozo

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So today we are off to Gozo. We got away fairly early and caught the 8.15 am ferry arriving a little over twenty minutes later at Mgarr. The journey was very pleasant and just enough time to have a cup of coffee before we arrived.

On driving off the ferry our first port of call, excuse the pun, was to head to Victoria (Rabat) the capital of Gozo. The city was known as Rabat but the name was changed to Victoria on Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. As it was just on opening time for both schools and shops the traffic was reasonably heavy but we managed to find parking near the bus terminus. As we found out, this was only a short stroll to the main shopping area and the Citadel.

We walked up to the main square where we found a market and had a look at what was on offer and had a drink and a pastizzi each. After our refreshments we than headed up the hill to the Citadel.

The Citadel is a fortified town on a plateau overlooking Victoria and was significantly rebuilt by the Knights after an attack by the Turks in 1551 virtually destroyed the castle. Whilst not surrendering easily, the defenders were overrun and taken away for slavery. The Knights strengthened the fortifications with some of walls being over 100 foot high and for over one hundred years the population of Rabat were required to sleep in the Citadel each night.

On entering the Citadel through the front gate, Gozo Cathedral is directly in front of you. There is a wide piazza with steps leading up to the cathedral doors. Also in the square is the Law Courts, still used to this day.

As on Malta, the interior of the cathedral is very much a rich baroque style. The outstanding feature of this church is the dome that does not exist. The architect of the cathedral planned a dome for the building and the circular start of the arch is there. The ceiling is actually flat, but when you first enter the cathedral knowing that there is no dome, your first impression is that a dome exists. This trompe l’oeil is astonishing. When you get under the ceiling it does become apparent there is no dome, however from the entrance the illusion is complete.

Leaving the cathedral we followed a narrow laneway to the Museum of Archaeology which has a fine collection of artefacts collected from all over Gozo dating back to prehistoric times. A lot of the most fascinating items are from the Roman era and include such things as coins, ship anchors and terracotta pots. There is also a skeleton with the cover of the grave made from terracotta pots split in half and also boxes with ashes. A very interesting museum experience indeed.

We then went for a walk around the bastions, something which cannot be done in the forts on Malta. These amazing fortifications give an unrivalled view of the countryside around the Citadel. Any invaders trying to attack this massive structure would surely have tasted defeat. The walls are massive and you are able to walk around the complete perimeter of the complex - no safety fences here to protect the stupid.

After walking the bastions we then down to the Old Prison. This prison was in use for over 400 years up until 1962. It comprised a common cell and a separate block of six cells. Like the Inquisitors Palace in Valletta there is a lot of graffiti on the walls from the inmates. The prison was used by the Knights to jail errant knights and one the most notable prisoners Jean de la Vallette, the future Grand Master and founder of Valletta.

We then went for a walk around the gift and craft shops and admired some of the lace and silver filigree work being made here. Over the years a lot of the buildings here have fallen into disrepair but there are two families living in the Citadel.
From the bastions, we saw the Basilica of St George and with the flag of St George flying from it, you would have thought they were England supporters. We went down to the church and had a quick look inside to admire the decorations in here.

Gozo is such a small island and yet there is a lot to see here, so we headed to the west of the island. Our first stop was the Ta’ Dbiegi Craft Village where a similar range of products is sold similar to Ta’ Qali on Malta. We spent a short time here and then went to Ta’ Pinu Basilica.

This Basilica was built in the 1920s and was built over the top of the existing chapel that was on the site. A local woman in the 19th claimed to have heard voices in the church and it has acquired a reputation for the occurrence of miracles. This church is very simplistic inside, yet the beauty of the architecture is inspiring. It has also had two visits from separate popes.

After the Basilica, we then went to an area below the village of San Lawrenz called the inland sea. There is a small inland sea here which is fed from the sea through a grotto. There also a feature called the Azure Window and an islet called Fungus Rock.

On leaving here, we headed easterly to the Ggantija Temples. These temples date back over 5000 years and are built of immense slabs of rock. They are thought to be the oldest free standing monuments in the world predating even Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids. They are thought to be temples and various artefacts have been found and are in several museums in Gozo and Malta.
These temples are run by Heritage Malta which has around 20 sites and museums well worth visiting.

After the temples, we headed to Ramla Bay, Gozo’s only sandy beach for a swim. The beach is sandy but with a lot of stones on it. In the water there is no sand, only a shingle bottom so without beach shoes we decided against a swim and had some food and drink at a beach cafe.

We left Ramla Bay and headed further east and just drove around the towns of Nadur and Qala before heading back to Victoria. We had been told to visit the Rotunda Church in Xewkija by several Gozitans, so we took the opportunity on the way back to Victoria. This church is built in a small ancient village but is of such a size that it is out of proportion to even Gozo. The dome is 75m high and 28m in diameter and is comparable in size only to St Pauls in London and St Peters in Rome. And all paid for in cash and labour by the local parishioners.

This was our last bit of sightseeing on this long day so we then headed to Victoria for dinner before heading back across the channel to Malta.

We found a nice looking place in Independence Square called It-Tokk and decide to have dinner there. Bad mistake as it turned out. I had grilled red snapper which was absolutely beautiful but Gina ordered tuna and it came out well and truly overcooked. She complained about the dish and was told that because she didn’t specify rare, all fish is cooked well done, or in this case burnt. She was told that if she wanted a rare tuna she would have to pay for both meals. It appears that on Gozo the customer is not always right and the chef needs to learn how to cook tuna correctly.

We then returned to the ferry and headed home for the night.

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