Category: Gozo

Victoria’s “Georgian” Core

25/8/2014

Beneath and around Gozo’s ancient citadel sprawls the town of Rabat – essentially Gozo’s capital – renamed as Victoria during the long-lived Queen’s reign. While the outlying suburbs of Victoria hold little of interest, at its core is a lovely melee of winding picturesque streets roughly following the original medieval street pattern.

This is the “Georgian” heart of Victoria, not in the sense that any of the architecture pertains to that style but because it’s the heartland of the Saint George parish of the town. The large number of houses carrying the name of the saint or places associated with him are a living witness to the saint’s devotion … and something that must surely give the postman occasional headaches.

Right at the centre of town is the basilica dedicated to the saint himself. Tracing its origins to Byzantine times, the present church was built between 1672 and 1678 and is Gozo’s finest and most richly embellished church – literally covered from floor to ceiling in a dazzling array of marble and gold stucco, mostly sponsored by generations of devout parishioners. The church contains arguably Gozo’s most important painting – a Saint George executed in 1678 by the Calabrian master Mattia Preti. The parishioners remain generous in their temple’s enrichment to this day; as witnessed by the church’s latest addition – a massive bronze main door installed in 2004 and the only one of its kind in the Maltese Islands.

Fronting the basilica is Saint George’s Square, definitely Gozo’s most cosy piazza with a small choice of cafes and other boutique shops; a great place for a pleasant break from sightseeing. Victoria’s other main open space, Republic Square, (colloquially known as It-Tokk) is just a block away, larger and definitely busier. There are more cafes here and a small market mostly aimed for the tourist, with beachwear, sunglasses and sun caps seemingly making up the bulk of the goods on offer.

Don’t leave town without exploring the narrow streets behind the Basilica – the best preserved urban core in all of Gozo with intriguingly winding narrow streets and a few interesting shops. Triq Palma is the quarter’s main shopping drag while Triq il-Karita and Triq id-Dejqa are probably the most atmospheric. The area is a good place to look for the traditional and highly prized Gozo lace, a cottage industry still practised by a considerable number of Gozitan women. If you’re lucky you might even catch a glimpse of an old lady or two working away in their doorway, magically looping thread over the traditional cylinder-like bobbins – and a bargain from the artisan herself is a distinct possibility…

The above article was originally published in the August 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here

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Spring…and the trekking is easy

2/5/2014

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Gozo was recently voted third best Mediterranean island by the independent Trip Advisor site. This should come as no surprise really - the island is conspicuously different from its larger neighbour Malta; greener, much less densely populated and quieter and consequently with a much slower pace all round. One of Gozo’s notable differences is a much less developed coastline and luckily it will probably stay that way too – half of the coast consists of high and very scenic cliffs.

A trek along part of these cliffs at any time of the year is a rewarding experience and much easier than one might think. One such walk starts from the popular resort of Xlendi, simply by following the promenade on the left hand side of the bay. As the promenade comes to an end there is a small bridge which gets you across the mouth of the Wied ta Kantra – a steep sided dry valley bordered by a varied vegetation. From here make your way to the tower at the end of the bay. There are good views of the cliffs further to the north of Xlendi from here.

Past the tower there is a level limestone rock shelf – a popular off-beat bathing area - which soon makes way to higher ground up to the cliffs. By now you will have left civilization a good twenty minutes behind, the silence is delicious and the views are second to none as the high vertical cliffs come into view. The trek is a very easy one to follow and basically winds its way above a couple of steep sided coves for the next forty minutes or so; a beautiful lonely trek with breath-taking views each step of the way...

Past the second inlet a veritable cliff wall comes into view but don’t be disheartened…the trek continues some way inland making for a less steep climb before rejoining the edge. Once at the top the full sweep of the cliffs (called the Sanap cliffs in this area) can be appreciated. From here the path becomes a well laid out paved one and the views now stretch as far as Comino and the north coast of Malta. At the end of the paved path a narrow road leads back to the tiny village of Munxar from where one can easily get back to Xlendi via the panoramic road set between open fields – and the whole track would have taken you about two hours.

There’s more edge of the cliff walking if you’re so inclined as the cliffside track continues on a more or less level path to the outskirts of the village of Sannat, and past that on to the large Ta Cenc plateau – itself an equally wild and beautiful site. Allow three to four hours for this second option.

The walk is a relatively easy one and can be appreciated at all times of the year but spring brings out the best of this coastal walk as the vegetation is at its vibrant best. In the hot dry summer an early morning or late afternoon start is best. Some drinking water and sun screen are essentials….plus a camera!

Heaven up here...

The above article was originally published in the May 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here.

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The Slow Road to Dwejra

3/1/2014

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Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock - the view is simply awesome

Most visitors to Gozo will probably include a short trip to Dwejra - the site so well known for its unique dramatic seascapes and geological features which include the famous Azure Window, Fungus Rock and the so called Inland Sea. Chances are you will get little of the feel of this unique site on a stop-and-go tour of the island, as the area really cries out for better appreciation.

Gozo by its very nature demands a slower way to do things and an alternate way to visit Dwejra is actually to walk there from the island's capital Victoria. It's a relatively easy five kilometer trek and it is a rewarding alternative. It can be done in two hours - but make that three for stops, diversions and gawping in general!

The way out of Victoria is easy enough - just follow the signposts to Kercem which lies just ten minutes walking away. Kercem itself is a miniscule village with one quiet main street winding its way in and out of the village again. There are a few ancient stone balconies of note on some old houses but little else of much interest apart from the quaintness of it all.

Once out of the village follow the signposts to Ghadira ta San Raflu. It's a quiet road bordered by fields and soon enough it follows close to the cliffs - giving breathtaking views across the water. In thirty minutes or so you should arrive at the Ghadira itself - a small pond which attracts waterfowl and other fauna. Until recently the pond supported a thriving population of the local endemic painted frog Discoglossus pictus but insensitive individuals have introduced the alien Bedriaga frog which has all but taken over the Ghadira. Nonetheless being here during the frogs' mating season is quite an experience - their mating calls are incredibly loud and create an impressive ruckus in this otherwise silent place.

The road divides into two at the pond - take the narrow trek on the left. The trek, initially smoothly cemented over, soon becomes a dust road and eventually just a narrow cycle path skirting the cliffs. The views here are breathtaking - with the small tower at the head of Xlendi Bay looking somewhat lonely amid the wide vista of cliffs. The path eventually leads to an open space with a small rock- hewn chamber and a couple of wells dug in front of it. This is in fact an ancient Punic sanctuary (picture right) about which very little is known. Not much remains of course but the site is certainly one of Gozo's most atmospheric, perched as it is on an impressively high cliff and commanding the best views towards Dwejra and the Fungus Rock. Take time out to gawp.

Retrace your steps from the site and go uphill for a minute or two until you can see the path towards Dwejra - there are various well trodden paths in fact. The observant rambler will note a proliferation of curious greyish-leaved plants occurring from this point onwards. This is none other than the Maltese Everlasting (Helichrysum melitense) an extremely rare endemic plant confined to just this small corner of Gozo and nowhere else worldwide. It produces yellow flowers between April and late May.

Soon one arrives at the curved Dwejra Bay with the Fungus Rock standing majestically at its entrance. Again the views here are impressive. Fungus Rock itself is a protected site - being the only known place where the so called Malta Fungus- a strange mushroom-like plant - grows. In the past it was believed to have potent medicinal powers and the Knights of St.John provided round the clock guard to deter locals from collecting this supposed elixir. Past the curve of the bay, head for the Dwejra Tower and you are practically in Dwejra now. Take time to enjoy this great site having tasted its splendor unfolding little by little.

There is an hourly bus back to Victoria from Dwejra if, quite understandably, you find the hilly road back a bit daunting.

On the way to the Punic shrine...the view towards Xlendi

The above article was originally published in the January 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here.

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Beyond the Azure Window – Getting lost in Gozo

2/12/2013

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Nearly every visitor to Gozo makes the obligatory whistle-stop tour to Dwejra and its photogenic Azure window. This is quite understandable – Dwejra is a World Heritage site with its unique fossil studded rock formations, the Fungus Rock and the steep sided Dwejra Bay sheltering behind it, plus the so called Inland Sea – a popular shingle beach permanently protected from rough sea by the sheer cliff wall virtually cutting it off from the deep blue Mediterranean beyond. Dwejra is also the most popular dive site in the Maltese Islands and considered by most as a world class site.

Few people give the area the time it deserves and fewer still wander beyond the rock- hewn window. But if you have the time it is well worth it. You’ll need plenty of that, four hours by my reckoning if you want to reach the next town walking mostly gentle gradients; but it’s an awesome, remote trek across a part of Gozo which is uncharacteristically arid and immensely uplifting to the senses.

Leave the car park and walk up to and beyond the chapel overlooking the Inland Sea. The chapel itself is quite unremarkable so a miss is quite in order. The top of the cliffs give one a beautiful view of the inland sea with its boathouses and cafes. Cross over to the opposite cliffside (the one overlooking the sea) and basically you can now follow the coastline. The observant rambler will probably notice a profusion of grey-leaved plants. This is the Maltese Everlasting, (Helichrysum melitense) a very rare endemic plant found only in this corner of Gozo and nowhere else worldwide. Needless to say this is a legally protected species and should not in any way be damaged. The plant produces a golden yellow flower head between April and June.

There are two quarries immediately after you leave Dwejra but once past these there are hardly any man-made intrusions except for the odd hunting hide – some tottering precariously on the cliff’s edge. The coast follows a wide curve allowing you to view the Azure window from a completely new angle. This stretch is an important bird area – it is estimated that it supports some 500 pairs of Cory’s Shearwaters and between 30 and 50 pairs of Yelkouan Shearwaters. The Yelkouan is endemic to the Mediterranean basin and is a globally threatened species with an estimated population of between 15 and 30 thousand pairs worldwide – Malta has about 1,500 pairs.

In an hour or so you should reach San Dimitri point – the Maltese Islands’ most westerly point. From here the walking is in an easterly direction and one soon comes across Wied ir-Raheb – a deep cleft in the cliffs that falls dramatically to the sea below. Walk a little way inland to go round this elevated river valley to follow the coast again on the valley’s eastern side. The cliffs here are high and mighty coralline ones but soon give way to a gentler, smoother cream colored limestone plateau. Look out for a particularly quaint rock formation – a mushroom shaped one created by a cap of the harder coralline stone over a stump of the more easily eroded globigerina limestone.

The next river valley you will come across is Wied il-Mielah. There is a natural arch where this valley meets the sea…not as well known and certainly not as celebrated as the Dwejra one but equally dramatic nonetheless. Steps lead down to sea level for a better view.

Beyond Wied il-Mielah the limestone plateau continues for another kilometer or so until the cliffs are broken again by the beautiful Wied il-Ghasri, a fjord-like drowned river valley with its own miniscule pebble beach wedged between the high cliffs. Rock-cut stairs lead to the beach and the detour is well worth it as this is one of Gozo’s seriously beautiful spots.

Moving on from Wied il-Ghasri the limestone plateau continues and the gradient is gently downhill. This part of the coast has the largest stretch of salt pens in the islands, still worked and harvested by hand to this day. There is a cute hole-in-the-wall salt shop if you want to buy some of the stuff. You will soon reach Xwejni Bay – another popular summer bathing spot, with a curious conical clay form at its eastern end.

Between Xwejni and the next bay (Qbajjar) is a newly restored Knights’ redoubt.

Beyond Qbajjar Bay there is a lovely north facing promenade and once past that you are now in Marsalforn proper. Marsalforn is Gozo’s most important resort town, pretty crowded in summer but blissfully quiet in the winter months. You will be lucky to find a couple of bars open on the front, as after this longish route you will definitely cherish a good local beer and perhaps a hobza biz-zejt to go with it…

Both start and end points of this walk are served with hourly bus services from Victoria so having your own car is not an issue, the bus is in fact the better alternative since this is not a circular route.

This article was first published in the December 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - the Air Malta inflight magazine

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Streets and Churches of Western Gozo

1/10/2013

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Everyone and his dog will tell you that Gozo is a different place from Malta; the place is definitely greener, the pace is slower, the traffic negligible… and laid back appears to be the operating system of the place.

While a stroll through some villages in Malta may entail a constant watch for oncoming traffic squeezing through impossibly narrow streets, there is little or none of it on Gozo - and more so in the cooler months when the slow pace of life gets even more lethargic with fewer tourists around. At times you will walk through a place and get the feel it is completely deserted except for the fact that most houses appear well kept and a dog will bark or a cock crow somewhere to shatter the illusion.

If you are staying in Gozo for any length of time (lucky you) a village crawl is a pleasant way to familiarize oneself with the place and an ideal spot to set off is the hilltop village of Zebbug.

Zebbug actually sits across two adjoining hillocks bridged by a narrow ridge. There is not much in the way of built environment to lure you here actually, but the views from practically every street corner are nothing short of stunning – collectively providing a 360 degree vista of the island. The simple parish church dominates the airy central square. The church’s main point of interest is the extensive use of a limestone form of onyx quarried from a nearby hill. This decorative stone was utilized extensively in local church decorations but here in Zebbug they really went overboard…altar, columns, confessional boxes and baptismal font are all carved from this rather pretty pinkish stone.

Picture perfect- the tiny village of Ghasri viewed from Zebbug

You can move to the next village, Ghasri, via the broad main road; but a more interesting way is to make your way down the steep Triq il-Kanun (ask for it if you can’t find it) which winds its way through terraced fields and ends besides a small chapel sitting next to the watercourse of Wied il-Ghasri. Make your way upstream via the road and another ten minutes will get you to Ghasri village proper. Ghasri is even smaller than Zebbug and similarly quiet. You will probably come across instances of keys kept in front door locks – a sure sign of the lack of any serious crime in these parts. This probably also explains why the Police station here (and in most of the other villages) is invariably closed!

Take the winding Triq il-Fanal to the right of the Ghasri parish church – an open road with good views of the Ghammar hill on the left and the Gordan lighthouse perched on the next hill. You will walk past the tiny hamlet of Ghammar – the smallest settlement in Gozo consisting of just one street and a few alleys; even its tiny chapel is well hidden in a side lane.

Past tiny Ghammar the lovely Ta Pinu National Shrine comes into view, sited majestically in the open countryside. Built in the 1920’s in the Romanesque style, this is probably the loveliest church erected in the twentieth century in the Maltese Islands – not least because of the richness of design in the sculpted decorations inside, with innumerable variations of abstract carving and no single motif repeated anywhere. This is also a place of great devotion and a magnet for pilgrims all year round - take time to look at the huge (if somewhat bizarre) collection of votive offerings inside the church; witness to an Island’s deep rooted faith. The greatest day in the history of the church was probably 26th May 1990 – when the late Pope John Paul II – the first Pontiff to visit Malta, let alone Gozo - celebrated Holy Mass in the piazza and all of Gozo flocked here to greet him.

If you are feeling energetic you might want to trudge up the Way of the Cross which starts across the road in front of the church…it’s a steep climb to the top of Ghammar hill with statues depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ dotted along the way. Needless to say there’s a breathtaking panorama from the top.

Leaving Ta Pinu, retrace your steps by a couple of hundred feet and take the road which will lead you to the next village – Gharb. It’s another country road which passes over the valley below via a newly restored stone bridge and affords splendid views of Ta Pinu church’s eastern end and belfry.

Gharb is the remotest village in Gozo and one of the oldest as well. Look out for a number of ancient stone balconies on buildings – rare almost everywhere else but quite common here. There is a lovely parish church with a curious concave façade dating from 1699 gracing the village’s main square. A privately owned folklore museum housed in an eighteenth century house also graces the square. Its twenty eight rooms give a comprehensive view of trades and crafts formerly practiced in the Islands, with an extensive collection of related tools and implements.

This article was first published in the October 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - the Air Malta inflight magazine

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Start to Finish

25/11/2012

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Away from the mostly digital work I do there is nothing I enjoy more than picking up pen and paper and working on something I will do purely for myself, something that is driven by the simple need to draw - drawing as a relaxing and (yes) therapeutic activity.

A few weeks back I started mulling over the theme of the mother and child - a theme repeated oh so often in religious as well as secular art. So I played around with a couple of sketches until I had a working drawing I could use to take off with. When it came to putting in a background it just had to be a Maltese themed landscape - and it was then I hit upon the Gozo Citadel (ic-Cittadella in Maltese) as possibly the ideal backdrop.

I have always loved the view of this ancient redoubt sitting atop its rounded hilltop as you are coming down the road from Zebbug so I chose that particular angle . The rest of the landscape I left as simplified as possible.

By my normally very slow working rate this one was completed pretty fast... I started the pencil sketch on 3rd November and a day later started working with ink. I completed this on the 25th November - less than a month. Good job I never got the Sistine Chapel commission.

I used Faber Castell TGI-S technical pens with nibs ranging from 0.13 to 0.35 and Pelikan permanent inks in various colors: black (naturally), vermillion, cobalt blue, yellow, green, sepia and burnt sienna. I rounded off with a light dusting of Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils.

I took shots of the drawing as it developed and here they are...
The Citadel Madonna - a blow-by-blow account!

Working drawing. Baby Jesus needs to be altered...

...and off we go. Work in progress.

Introducing cobalt, vermilion and burnt sienna inks...

Sketching in a background with a couple of pics for reference

Giving the background wall, fields and citadel some color: using green, cobalt, yellow, burnt sienna and sepia

Almost done with the ink...now a few touches with colored pencils...

...and I reckon "The Citadel Madonna" is ready!

Madonna face detail

Citadel detail

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Trekking Ghajn Barrani...and Beyond

4/10/2012

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The article below first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. I am pleased to reconnect in a small way with the airline which was my employer for nearly thirty years.
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After the first autumn rains the Maltese islands shake off their terracotta hues and take on a fresher mantle of varying hues of green. Gozo, where clay is much more predominant, tends to remain greener in summer but it is still the early rains which lull nature out of its summer torpor.

Virtually all of Gozo is good walking country and the villages themselves provide plenty of colour and contrasts for the more sedate rambler. But the wilder parts of Gozo are more rewarding if you’re up to it. Most of the coast of Gozo is walkable and offers a variety of scenery including majestic cliffs, ancient salt pens, well hidden inlets, and of course sweeping sea vistas.

One of the more rewarding treks in Gozo is the stretch of coast between Ramla l-Hamra and Marsalforn, an area generically known as Ghajn Barrani. This area is made up mostly of clay slopes with a few boulder screes in places and is hemmed in by cliff tops to the south and the sea to the north. This area now also enjoys legal protection as a Natura 2000 site, part of an EU-wide network covering important natural sites showcasing Europe’s rich biodiversity.

Starting from Ramla l-Hamra one finds a trek at the bay’s western end which leads to a smaller sandy cove ringed by steep clay sides. Since shoreline progress beyond this cove is not feasible, this is the cue to start the upward trudge up the slope and this can be quite breathtaking – though not quite in the way this walk is meant to be!

Reaching the top of the slope, take time to enjoy the panoramic view of now distant Ramla . From here progress is easier as it’s a downhill walk and if you look closely enough there is a well trodden path which makes picking one’s way much easier. The open seaward views here are incredible and there is little if any sign of human habitation.

Crossing this vast clay slope and eventually going up a gentle hillside, keep an eye open for the next landmark – a large jutting rock which some enterprising soul long ago turned into a wilderness refuge by carving a sheltering space within it. This high vantage point offers more beautiful vistas and immediately below one can see an isolated rock shelf strewn with reddish boulders. This is one of the remotest bathing spots in Gozo and it is well worth clambering down just to enjoy the sound of the sea in this otherwise silent place. A small year round spring trickles its way into the sea here – the Ghajn Barrani (foreigners’ spring) by which the area is known. A swim in the clear waters here is an enticing option if weather conditions permit.

Leaving the rock beach, continue westward by following a trek which leads one away from the immediate foreshore. There is some bit of climbing here but again it is mostly on smooth, well beaten clay treks, and the going for most part is gently uphill.

Next to come into view some way below is the imposing white cliff known as Ghar Qawqla. By now you are approaching the touristic hub of Marsalforn and a southbound track will eventually get you on the road leading down to the seaside town’s promenade.

If this two to three hour trek has not tired you out you might well take time to enjoy a beachside drink at Marsalforn and then keep following the shore until you leave town. There are two pretty inlets here, the miniscule Qbajjar Bay and immediately next to it Xwejni Bay with its imposing clay stack jutting above a limestone cliff. From here a lonely shore road leads past numerous salt pans carved long ago in the soft limestone. Before the road winds its way up to the hilltop village of Zebbug, a peek at the dramatic fjord-like inlet of Wied il-Ghasri is definitely worth a short detour.

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Victoria’s “Georgian” Core

Spring…and the trekking is easy

The Slow Road to Dwejra

Beyond the Azure Window – Getting lost in Gozo

Streets and Churches of Western Gozo

Start to Finish

Trekking Ghajn Barrani...and Beyond

The article below first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. I am pleased to reconnect in a small way with the airline which was my employer for nearly thirty years.
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Victoria’s “Georgian” Core

Spring…and the trekking is easy

The Slow Road to Dwejra

Beyond the Azure Window – Getting lost in Gozo

Streets and Churches of Western Gozo

Start to Finish

Trekking Ghajn Barrani...and Beyond

The article below first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. I am pleased to reconnect in a small way with the airline which was my employer for nearly thirty years._________________________________________________

Categories

Author

Archives

The article below first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. I am pleased to reconnect in a small way with the airline which was my employer for nearly thirty years.
_________________________________________________