Gozo, the Mediterranean sweetness

Updated on 28/08/2024 • by Baptiste THARREAU

For the first time, the island, beautiful and luminous, appears from a luxurious serenity. Gozo is in Malta what Belle-Île is on the Atlantic coast, the Saints in the Antilles, which 30 years ago Ibiza was at the Balearic and Djerba to Tunisia. We would like to believe that processing here will be less cruel. There is a good chance that the Gozitans will be able to resist any large-scale projects that might depart their island.

Wonderful landscapes

On Gozo there is a particular atmosphere of decontraction to the British, the local touch in addition. This impression of mastered landscape, enchants the few tourists who find Malta a little urbanized. It is true that in Gozo the greener coastal approaches have a lot of charm.

The island is traditionally a resort for the Maltese, and access is easy. To go to Gozo, take the ferry to Malta, Cirkewwa, to join Mgarr in Gozo. Ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes and rotations are regular, allowing you to visit Gozo in one day even if you are in Malta for a short stay. But more and more vacationers, more sophisticated and often smarter, come to spend all their holidays there. They can take advantage of the pimpous and coarse houses decorated with balustrades, twisted columns, forged iron balconies and surrounded by charming gardens. They come together around the central places of the villages to which, obviously, the Gozitans pay particular attention. The coastal approaches have a great deal of charm, and the view on the cliffs, on the edge of the roads or roads, is very often beautiful. The edges of the roads and the hills, in bloom all summer, are punctuated by roses, geraniums and bougainvillea. Here the landscape is greener than in Malta. Overall, the countryside around Gozo has kept a wild character, barely disturbed, here and there by some modern constructions. The countryside is characterized by the gozitain bozitain, these fields on the terrace, delimited by small limestone muds and often located on the hills.

The main activities of the Gozitans are agriculture and fishing. Tourism has also become an important source of income in recent years. It must be said that the island has serious assets in its sleeve. If the culture, Malta is richer than Gozo, we will take pleasure in the streets of Victoria Citadel or on the prehistoric site of G tob gantija (temples of the giants in Maltese). These are two megalithic temples near the city of Xaghra, the oldest traces of which go back to about 5000 BC, before the pyramids of Egypt.

Hiker's Paradise

More preserved than Malta, Gozo is ideal for spectacular hikes. We are not talking here about treks or adventures. The distances are short and, while the relief is sometimes tormented, there are no real difficulties. Gozo, much more than Malta, is an island at the walkers' scale. Nature, colors are better preserved, valleys and villages blossom. You can walk there randomly, along the coast or inside the island. If the tags are rare, you will find no difficulties and you will find it difficult to get lost. The smallest relief offers breathtaking views, villages and their bell towers are rarely distant and therefore easily identifiable. To organize, the Malta Tourism Authority publishes an excellent booklet on various hiking trails: The Gozo Countryside Walks. Some routes are needed. Kercem-Dewjra allows you to walk through flowered fields, from the punique remains to Dewjra Point, a huge rock in the open sea like a gozitain Etretat. Or Gharb-Marsalforn, which is part of the beautiful village of Gharb, runs through the north coast, which is unattended to the pleasant seaside resort of Marsalforn. To get back from hiking, when you arrive in Marsalforn, enjoy a grilled daurade or seafood on the terrace. The north-west, between Gharb and the sea, is not there. It is a wild place with beautiful panoramic views of the Grand Blue. In order to spoil nothing, the starting and arrival points are served by buses. And for those who prefer, it is possible to take these mountain bikes or even horseback for some of them.

The World of Nemo at Palm Range

Beyond this earth's heritage, Gozo also contains underwater wonders not to be missed. The Maltese archipelago, with its cliffs and transparent and never cold waters, is the ideal place to indulge in this sport. Water temperature never descends below 13 ° C and averages 23 ° C in summer. So you can dive all year round including winter, because there are fewer tourists, and you can find a larger variety of fish coming near the banks looking for warm and shallow waters. In summer, the temperature of the water allows you to go from combination or wear only a slight. If the destination is popular with the amateurs, it is because there are many wrecks to explore. There was no hesitation recently in pouring six wrecks near the island of Gozo, for the greatest happiness of divers, confirmed or beginner. On the island of Gozo, in Dewjra, the Blue Hole was elected on several occasions' best diving site in the Mediterranean '. If this is the best known site, the island also counts number of underwater caves, crevices and tunnels. Reqqa Point, a 60 m deep reef, with caves and the possibility of seeing large fish like the underwater or meror, or the famous Inland Sea tunnel, will not be praised.

Wine and cheese on the menu

So many activities, it's hollow! Gozo is known for its typical cheese, often spicy because of herbs and pepper. Another specialty, the potiron pie, whose flesh is mixed with fresh rice and basil, must not be missed either. We'll wash it with one of the island's wines. One of the most recent creations, Gozo Country White has the freshness and lightness of typical coastal wines and a taste that recalls that of Vendean fiefdoms. Once again, you can easily find a bed thanks to the large variety of accommodation on the island, from small family pension to luxury hotel. But one of Gozo's features is the large number of villas and farmhouses in the farmhouses. Staying one night in one of these country houses is a must to enjoy the surrounding calm.