Day four saw us heading to the island of Gozo, which lies very close to Malta. It takes the ferry roughly 30 minutes to reach Gozo and passes the island of Comino in the process. Comino is only 1.4 square miles.
Comino was apparently inhabited by farmers in Roman times but for long periods in its history has been sparsely populated or entirely abandoned. Its rugged coastline with limestone cliffs and deep caves were popular with pirates and marauders in the Middle Ages. Today there are only two people living permanently on Comino after the deaths of two other residents in the last seven years. Ferries do go to Comino and many people visit it for a day trip. The small hotel we understood was being rebuilt so this may help increase the permanent population of the island at some time in the future.
Gozo by contrast is 26 square miles with the largest settlement being the main town, Victoria, originally called Rabat but renamed in the honour of Queen Victoria in her Golden Jubilee year of 1887.
Our first visit of the day was to the Gigantija Neolithic Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the earliest dated of all the Maltese Temples (3600 BC) and can be said to herald the dawn of megalithic temple building in Europe. The site is remarkably well preserved for its age and a museum has recently been opened. There are two temples with an incomplete third. The temples are built in the typical cloverleaf design with the inner facing blocks making the shape. A series of semi-circular apses is connected by a central passage. It is believed that the apses were originally roofed. Researchers have found numerous figurines and statues that they believe are connected to the fertility rites associated with the cult at that time.
After visiting the Gigantija Temples we had lunch at Xlendi which is an attractive harbour town.
After lunch in Xlendi we returned to Victoria as it has a citadel which has evidence of prehistoric occupation. By medieval times it could accommodate the entire population of Gozo in times of threat.
The fortification we see today was begun by the Knights of St John after the devastating Ottoman raid on Gozo in 1551.
Gozo seemed a bit less busy than Malta and is a nice place to visit. Many tourist make the ferry trip across from Malta and although boarding the ferry was a bit chaotic there were plenty of seats on deck to enjoy the views. They have an interesting ticketing system where it is free to go across from Malta, but you have to buy a ticket to return.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024