Farmhouse Liena at

The Neighborhood

Around 20-30 minutes’ ferry ride from Malta itself, the island of Gozo provides a quieter and less tourist-heavy experience than its neighbour. The second-largest of the three inhabited Maltese islands, at around 13km by 6.5km, it’s home to approximately 37,000 people – its residents being known as Gozitans. The capital, Rabat, is the centre of the action, but is by no means a metropolis. Alternatively known as Victoria (avoiding confusion with the Rabat on Malta), its fortified city and the surrounding Old Town are well worth a visit from a historical point of view, with a variety of museums on hand to provide further details. Among them are the Cathedral Museum, the Folklore Museum and a Museum of Archaeology. The grand St George’s Basilica is a must-see located right in the centre of town, and the church’s magnificent works of art and impressive architecture only add to its status as one of the most important on the island. The Old Prison offers a different but equally fascinating look at the island’s past, and forms part of a heritage tour which allows you to visit a variety of Victoria’s notable sights. Victoria offers a good range of shopping, with several malls and a daily market on Independence Square. For a little bit of peace and quiet, the pretty Villa Rundle Gardens are a good bet, and provide some nice spaces for families. Due to the island’s small size, it doesn’t take long to reach some of Gozo’s other places of interest from Victoria, although public transport isn’t always that reliable. You can, however, bring a hire car across from Malta on the ferry, at an additional cost. Locations you might want to check out include beaches like Ramla-I-Hamra and San Blas Bay on the northern coast, and the Dwerja inland sea. This was, until quite recently, the site of the Azure Window, a rock arch which became something of a local icon and a popular visitor attraction until events took their toll and it finally collapsed. Even without it, however, the beach at Dwerja is one of the most pleasant on the island. Gozo also offers some incredibly scenic walks. Tal-Merżuq Hill is a hard but rewarding climb, while the valley of Wied l-Għasri takes you down to the sea where divers often explore the underwater caves. Head up to the remote coastal spot of Xwejni for some wonderful star-gazing opportunities – they also say you can see the tail-lights of the cars on Sicily on a clear summer night.