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Understand
One sometimes gets the sense that Gozo is how Malta could have been. With the exceptions of Marsalforn and Xlendi, it has been largely spared from short-sighted overdevelopment, the traditional way of life and society has survived better, and the land has been maintained better giving more fertile ground. Buildings and houses on Gozo are mainly done with natural materials, as opposed to many of the concrete and breeze-block constructions on the mainland.
History
Gozo's history is intimately linked to Malta. It shares its megalithic culture, and with the Ggantija temple, it is officially home of the oldest structure on the planet. Interestingly, Gozo up until the end of medieval times was inhabited in a manner the same as Malta, with MÄ¡arr and Victoria/Rabat being to Gozo what Vittoriosa and Mdina are to Malta: the main port and the main settlement consisting of a citadel and surrounding suburbs. The inhabitants of Gozo were, in medieval times, required by law to return to the Citadella each evening to spend the night there to prevent corsairs from abducting them. These measures were proven to be necessary when, in 1551, the Turks tried their first invasion of Malta. When they failed, they attacked Gozo and took the entire population off in ships to sell them into slavery.
Talk
It should also be noted that if you do learn some Maltese, there are different dialects throughout different parts of the country. People on Gozo speak Maltese with a slightly different accent from the main Maltese islanders, and people from the village of Xewkija have a different dialect from the people on the rest of Gozo and Malta.
Like the mainland, English is also an official language of Gozo.
Get in
There is the ferry from ÄŠirkewwa on Malta to MÄ¡arr, Gozo's main harbour. It departs every 45 minutes in the summer and almost as often in the winter. The trip there is free, but going back to Malta costs Lm2. One can also take a helicopter from the airport, but this is a bit pricey compared to the Lm1.50 for a bus ticket from Valletta to the departure point of the ferry at ÄŠirkewwa and the free ferry crossing. There are plans to build an international airport on the beautiful and unspoilt Ta Cenc cliffs of this tiny island, but hopefully someone will realise that the main airport, which already stretches across almost a quarter of Malta itself, is more than enough.
Get around
See
Itineraries
Do
Eat
As Gozo is the breadbasket of Malta, the ground is more fertile, and the place is more rural. Therefore there is more fresh produce to be had. One should definitely try Gozo's own cheese, Gbejniet. This cheese is lovely when had fresh, but also nice when cured with pepper and vinegar.
Drink
As on Malta there are vineyards on Gozo, one can often buy unlabelled local wines cheaply but be sure to ask to taste them as quality can vary broadly.
Stay safe
Gozo is safer than Malta , there is less petty crime.
There is occaisionally a strong current on the northern shore, so caution when swimming is advised.
Respect
The residents of Gozo are called Gozitans and will be offended if you refer to them as Maltese.
Walking, Rambling and Hiking
Gozo is at its best from October to May. It looks like the Garden of Eden with all the wild flowers, birds and other animals. The average temperature in this period is around 20C ideal for rambling around the island. While exploring the island you will realize that every 500m there is a totally different amazing views due to a large number of valleys, hills and small beaches. There are lots of abandoned hidden ancient temples and shrines in the countryside. If you are pressed for time and do not have much time to explore but you want to see the best hidden places it is best to hire or join a guide that specializes in country walks. Although Gozo is small once you go to the countryside you will feel that you are alone on the island since you can walk for hours without meeting nobody. During the winter storms Gozo seaside is totally spectacular with seeing the big waves explode 80m high in the sky on the big boulders and lofty cliffs.
Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. In Maltese, the island is called Għawdex (pronounced áw-desh). Gozo is part of the country of Malta.
Geography
Gozo is 67 km² in size, which is approximately the same size as Manhattan. It lies approximately 6 km northwest from the nearest point of Malta, is of oval form, 14 km in length and 7.25 km in extreme breadth.
Gozo is famed for its character and places of interest. Some of these are the Calypso cave, the Ä gantija Neolithic temples which is the oldest man made structure. It is more picturesque than the larger sister island of Malta, and the land is more fertile.
Gozo's finest attribute is the stunning Ramla Bay, whose lurid orange-red sand and crystal clear turquoise waters make it one of the finest beaches in Europe. Nearby San Blas is another world-class beach.
Demography
In 2005, the island had a population of 31,053, of whom 6,414 live in its capital Victoria, also known as Rabat. The crude birth rate was 7.93, considerably lower than that of 9.59 for Malta. The town with the highest birth rate is San Lawrenz (15.93) and that with the lowest is Xewkija (4.89).
Connection to the Maltese 'Mainland'
The construction of a bridge between the two islands was the subject of controversy for years. In the early 1970s the newly elected Socialist Administration started the building of a bridge between the two islands, but this was stopped after protests from the Gozitan part. At present the island is reachable by ferry boat. A helicopter service which connected Gozo to Malta was stopped recently, after the service was privatised some time ago. Regular ferries relay between the port of ÄŠirkewwa on Malta and MÄ¡arr on Gozo, establishing services for goods, tourism and commuting. Permanent residents of Gozo are able to use the ferry at a subsidised rate, significantly lower than the standard fare. The heliport at Xewkija provides passenger services to the mainland's airport in Luqa. The heliport runway might be extended so aircraft can land. The heliport is surrounded by cart ruts, monoliths and other prehistoric structures which where confirmed by Gozitan archaeologists, so it is unlikely that the heliport will be extended. Meanwhile a sea plane is flying between Gozo Mgarr harbour and the Grand Harbour in Malta.
History
Gozo has been inhabitated since the 5th millennium BC, as witnessed by the megalithic
structures at Ä gantija. The first Neolithic settlers probably crossed over from Sicily. Another interesting Neolithic structure is the Xagħra Stone Circle.
In July 1551 Ottomans and Barbary pirates under Turgut Reis and Sinan Pasha invaded and ravaged Gozo and enslaved all of its inhabitants, about 5000, bringing them to Tarhuna Wa Msalata in Libya. Their departure port in Gozo was MÄ¡arr ix-Xini.
The history of Gozo is strongly coupled with the history of Malta, since Gozo has been governed by Malta within recent history, with the exception of a short period of autonomy, granted to Gozo by Napoleon after his conquest of Malta, between 28 October 1798 and 5 September 1800.
The Malta-Gozo Relationship
Gozitans have a very strong identity within Malta as a whole country. Sometimes this might lead to Gozitans segregating themselves when working or studying in mainland Malta. Gozo is the only region in Malta which has a Minister responsible for it. Generally speaking, Gozo is more socially conservative than the rest of the country.
Walking, Rambling and Hiking
Gozo is at its best from October to May. It looks like the Garden of Eden with all the wild flowers, birds and other animals. The average temperature in this period is around 20C ideal for rambling around the island. While exploring the island you will realize that every 500m there is a totally different amazing view due to a large number of valleys, hills and small beaches. There are lots of abandoned hidden ancient temples and shrines in the countryside. If you are pressed for time and do not have much time to explore but you want to see the best hidden places it is best to hire or join a guide that specializes in country walks. Although Gozo is small once you go to the countryside you will feel that you are alone on the island since you can walk for hours without meeting anybody. During the winter storms Gozo seaside is totally spectacular with seeing the big waves explode 80m high in the sky on the big boulders and lofty cliffs.
Ecclesiastical history
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo (in Latin Goulos-Gaudisiensis), comprises the Island of Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea (seventeen miles west of the harbour of Valetta, Malta) and islet of Comino. On a central plateau the ruined fortifications of a mediaeval castle contain the cathedral church and several public buildings. To the south of the castle lies the island's main town whose origins go back to prehistoric times. The town contains several public buildings the most important of which is St George's basilica. This magnificent basilica lies on the site where the earliest evidence of Christianity was discovered.
Up to the year 1864, Gozo formed part of the Diocese of Malta, but Pius IX, acceding to the repeated prayer of the clergy and the people, erected it into a separate exempt diocese, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See. On 16 March, 1863, Monsignor Francesco Michele Butigieg, a native of Gozo, was appointed titular Bishop of Lita and deputy auxiliary of the Archbishop-Bishop of Malta, for the Island of Gozo. He was consecrated at Rome on 3 May of the same year, on 22 September, 1864, was created first bishop of the new Diocese of Gozo, and on the 23rd day of the following month made his solemn entry into the new cathedral. Through the efforts of Mgr. Pietro Pace, who was then vicar-general of the diocese, a diocesan seminary was established on the site formerly occupied by the San Giuliano Hospital, the revenues of which were appropriated to the new institution. This seminary was inaugurated 3 November, 1866, and by the express desire of Pope Pius IX placed under the direction of the Jesuits.
On the death of Mgr. Butigieg, Father Micallef, Superior General of the Augustinian Order, was made Bishop of Città di Castello and appointed administrator of the Diocese of Gozo. He left Gozo in May, 1867, and in 1871 became Archbishop of Pisa. His successor to the administration of the diocese was Mgr. Antonio Grech Delicata, titular Bishop of Chalcedon, a native of Malta, who in 1868 was appointed Bishop of Gozo, and as such assisted at the First Vatican Council. Mgr. Grech Delicata's charity towards the poor went so far that he divested himself of his own patrimony. This worthy prelate died on the last day of the year 1876.
On 12 March, 1877, Mgr. Canon Professor Pietro Pace, native of Gozo, was appointed to succeed Mgr. Grech Delicata, and was consecrated at Rome by Cardinal Howard. Under his administration the seminary was augmented by the installation of a meteorological observatory, which was inaugurated by the celebrated Padre Denza, Director of the Vatican Observatory. During this administration an episcopal educational institute for girls was also established, under the care of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, to whom was also entrusted the direction of the annexed orphan asylum. The same bishop provided the diocese with a new episcopal palace and new monasteries, besides laying out large sums of money on the cathedral.
In 1889, Mgr. Pace was promoted Archbishop of Rhodes and Bishop of Malta. His successor in the See of Gozo was the Reverend G. M. Camilleri, O.S.A., a native of Valetta (b. 15 March, 1842). Under Mgr. Camilleri's administration the first diocesan synod was celebrated, in October, 1903. This synod was of absolute necessity, as the diocese was still governed under the rules of the Synod of Malta of 1703, and consequently lacked a safe guide adapted to the times. Constitutions and decrees were also promulgated and published which gave new life to the working of the diocese.
The cathedral church of Gozo was built in 1697-1703, by Lorenzo Gafa. Its ground plan is in the form of a Latin cross. The Cathedral is also the annual pilgrimage site of the Grand Priory of the Mediterranean of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Its interior is adorned with fine paintings. The "Massagiere di Maria", an Italian periodical, is recognized in the Diocese of Gozo as the official organ of the sanctuary of the Bl. Virgin ta Pinu.
Currently the Bishop of Gozo is Mgr. Mario Grech.
Notable features
See also
Gallery of cathedrals in the Mediterranean
Sources and external links
