Azure Window, Dwejra © Malta Tourist Board
Malta’s little sister island of Gozo invites visitors to
put on their walking shoes. Life here moves at a leisurely pace,
its rhythms dictated by the seasons, with a rugged landscape and
beautiful coastline just crying out for exploration. Inland the
small island is covered with flowering herbs and lush crops, and in
summer it is fragrant with oleander, bougainvillea and geranium.
The island is known for having some of the Mediterranean’s
best snorkelling and scuba diving sites, but it is also a place of
myth and legend, believed to be the Calypso isle of Homer’s
Odyssey. The countryside is dotted with old stone farmhouses and
baroque churches, as well as some prehistoric temples and other
historic sites of importance. The commercial centre of the island,
Victoria, has a sleepy 17th-century feel. The town has many
buildings of historical and cultural interest, mostly sited inside
the Citadel, the ancient fortified part of the town. Gozo can be
reached from Malta’s Grand Harbour by ferry in about 20
minutes.
Attractions
Caves © Heini Samuelsen
Caves of Xaghra
The alabaster caves at Xaghra feature stalactites and
stalagmites, and have an important place in Greek mythology,
particularly the Calypso Cave, overlooking the red sand of Gozo's
best beach, Ramla Ihamra. Calypso cave is believed to be the one
referred to in Homer's Odyssey...
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Azure Window, Dwejra © Malta Tourist Board
Dwejra
Dwejra, with its secluded pebbled bathing pool and crystal clear
water, is known as the ‘inland sea’ and provides the
enjoyable experience of diving into the ‘blue hole’
near the Azure Window. It is an area with strange rock formations
causing interesting swimming holes....
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Temple
Ggantija Temples
Two massive megaliths were carved into temples by the pre-Phoenician Gozitans somewhere between 4,100 and 2,500 BC, and now stand on the island as mysterious monuments to a bygone age. Legend has it that they were transported to the island...
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Marsalforn © Paultrahearn/MartinHansV
Marsalforn
The tiny fishing village of Marsalforn on the north coast of
Gozo has become the island's most popular summer resort. It offers
various spots for swimming and water sports, and is well supplied
with restaurants, bars and accommodation establishments.
...
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Pottery © craiglea123
Museum of Archaeology
A good place to begin exploring Gozo is at the Museum of
Archaeology, found just inside the walls of the Citadel in Victoria
behind the Old Gate, in a 17th century building that was originally
the Town Hall. The museum illustrates the cultural...
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