Gozo, an outlaying island near the main island
of Malta, has its share of medieval
architecture and prehistoric temples, making it a great place to escape the
tourism mill. It also has some of the best beaches and snorkeling venues in the
Mediterranean
Gozo Museum
of Archeology
A good place to begin exploring Gozo is at the Museum
of Archaeology, found just inside
the walls of the Citadel in Victoria,
the main town of Gozo, behind the
Old Gate, in a 17th century building that was originally the Town Hall. The
museum exhibits the cultural history of Gozo from prehistoric times to the
early modern era, presented chronologically from the Neolithic and Temple
Period onwards through the
Phoenician, Roman, Medieval and Knights of St John periods.
The Citadel
The Citadel itself owes its roots to the
late medieval era, but the hill has been settled since Neolithic times. After
the Great Siege of 1565, the Knights set about re-fortifying it to provide
refuge and defense against further attack. Until 1637, the Gozitan population
was required by law to spend their nights within the Citadel for their own
safety. Today the narrow alleys of the Citadel contain shops selling local
crafts and produce. The Citadel's fine baroque Cathedral is a masterpiece
designed by Lorenzo Gafa. The site on which it stands may well have been that
of the Roman Temple of Juno, mentioned by Cicero in his
writings. The Cathedral, built early in the 17th century, is small but
graceful. Its floor is made up of a mosaic of marble tombstones and
ecclesiastical emblems, while its ceiling has a remarkable trompe l'oeil painting depicting the interior of a dome that was never
built.
The Megaliths
Two massive megaliths were carved into temples by the
pre-Phoenician Gozitans somewhere between 4100 and 2500BC, and now stand on the
island as mysterious monuments to a bygone age. Legend has it that they were
transported to the island by a giantess called Sansuna, hence the name of the
site, Ghantija, which means 'giant'. Large stone balls in the area, however,
have led archaeologists to conclude that the massive blocks were rolled into
place atop these. The two temples have a common façade but each has a separate
entrance; one is larger than the other. It is believed both originally had
roofing made of wooden beams, and that animal sacrifices were made in the
temples during rituals. The temples have been documented as the oldest free
standing structures in the world.
Calypso’s Cave
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 as being where the beautiful nymph Calypso kept
Odysseus as a 'prisoner of love' for seven years. Below Calypso
Cave are the remains of a
fortification built by the Knights of St John.