Having visited most Mediterranean Islands I approached a visit to the Island of Gozo, with all the Hype I had read about its beauty, with the usual degree of skepticism.
To say I was surprised is an understatement; the Island is beautiful, if only for the fact that it is about 50 years behind the rest of the Western World. I think that this is where lies its appeal to almost all ages, it is so restful.
The local population gets on with their daily lives and, although the income to the Maltese Island comes from tourism, you could say that Gozo is unique in that the tourists are not bothered with the usual gimmicks, knick-knacks and cheap tawdry souvenirs. Rather the innate pride that the Gozitans have in their own artistic ability is passed on to the tourists without a hint of commercialism.
The craft cottage industry that exists on the Island rewards you with such things as hand made pillow lace, at a fraction of the price you would be prepared to pay anywhere else. Hand knitted articles in designs reminiscent of FairIsle and other Scottish Islands as well as modern sweaters and pullovers selling from £5.00 to £8.00 each. I wonder how long it will be before someone comes along and spoils it? Hand drawn table linen, which is reminiscent of that other beautiful Island, Ireland.
Religion on the Island is strictly Roman Catholic and the Islanders are extremely strong in their faith - every village has its own parish church and each one is grander than the last. In fact one of the villagers can boast two churches, one of which was built upon the spot where a young Gozitan girl had a vision, similar to Bernadette of Lourdes. A hill at the front of the church winds up to a summit with three crosses with all the Stations of the Cross represented in white marble, at every bend of the zigzag path to the top.
You are invited to enter any one of the churches and I guarantee that you will be more than amazed at the beauty of each. At the same time there is not the feeling of oppression that I have felt in some mausoleums, elsewhere, but a wonderful feeling of happiness and joy in living.
. The Island is mainly devoted to farming, which produce sustains the Gozitans although they do enjoy a little income from the export of potatoes - that fact alone gives you some idea of how the populace look at life. Totally rural, totally dedicated to the work ethic, kindly and friendly to a fault, the Gozitans reflect all that is really beautiful about this very restful Island.
There are many beautiful spots on the Island, particularly where the wind and sea have worn away the rocky coast into fantastic shapes. One of these is called the ’’inland sea’’ where a hole has worn into the cliff face and the sea has intruded beyond the cliffs to make a large pool on which boats take you through the tunnel out to sea. Another spot is called ’’The window’’ where a natural arch has been worn through the cliffs making a bridge as you have at Newquay in Cornwall for instance. The sea around the coast is unbelievably blue, not just the blue you associate with the sea in general but a turquoise blue that has to do with the limestone at the bottom of the sea, shining through. It is apparently a haven for snorkeling.
I could go on all day about this Island, I would suggest that you visit it as soon as you can, If there is any reason for you to go to Malta then it must be to visit Gozo.