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Getting Away From It All On GozoA Secret European HotspotBy Marguerite Jordan
HEAPED WITH HISTORY, WARMED BY THE SUN
These beautiful limestone-based oases enchant outsiders and residents alike with their spectacular sea views and fascinating vegetation and sights. You can be forgiven for thinking you are on Sicily or Greece, Libya or Portugal, Spain or France, for everywhere there are reminders of these other Mediterranean countries. Throughout the centuries Malta -- 60 miles south of Sicily and 120 miles north of Libya -- has been a stepping stone --read, major invasion spot -- between the two continents, and for each invasion, another fort, cathedral, or palace was created.
THIS GOLDILOCKS FELL FOR GOZO
GOZO’S MOST FAMOUS VISITOR
PRETEND YOU LIVE HERE: VILLAS, BUNGALOWS, APARTMENTS AND HOTELS
DISCOVERIES BOTH PERSONAL AND HISTORIC
The diving sites are quite exciting. Apart from the island’s irregular coastline and all its natural arches, caves and tunnels, a number of ships (Perhaps Ulysses’s among them?) have been scuttled to provide some interesting dive possibilities. MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND MANNERS ARE GOOD FOR YOUThere are fourteen towns on Gozo and each has a patron saint and a “festa”. I attended two of these festivals on my stay, and at each, I was invited home by people I met. People approached me readily, asking where I was from. We had lively conversations while watching the parades and listening to the music and the fireworks. The Maltese people are very hospitable and welcoming. Over lunch one day, I paused to enjoy a dish of olives and fish and a salad of cheese and tomatoes and olive oil. The bread was rich, its texture almost as dense as the rough limestone walls of the restaurant. I was joined by an American-Maltese priest who was anxious to teach me more about the people of these islands. He recommended that I read a book called “The Kapillan of Malta”, by Nicholas Monsarrat. He explained that almost every single group of invaders has come to the island, because it is part of the land bridge between Africa to the south and Europe to the north. Though Malta is full of references to the Phoenicians, the Saracens, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Libyans, Moroccans, Christians from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and to all the invasions that this small country has endured, the country remains uniquely its own kind of place. Later I read the book Father Paul suggested, an historical novel about the days of World War II, when the island had to try to protect itself from bombs by hiding in caves, including the one first used by Calypso. It revealed another layer of life in the islands that I had not seen on my first visit. I resolved to return to find out more about the history and the people, and to enjoy the quiet and beauty of Gozo. And, while I do not have seven years to spend there, you can be sure I will stay longer than seven days. RESOURCES FOR PLANNING YOUR TRIPSeveral months before you plan to leave for Gozo, take a tour on-line and look at the rental possibilities. In addition, you can find out more about island activities, including cycling, swimming, diving, and Festas. Malta Tourist Office www.gozo.com is a comprehensive source for accommodations and events. www.gozo.com/morningstar A beautiful farmhouse that sleeps six, located in the village of Marsalforn. It is owned by Victor Axiak, vmj@vol.net.mt http://www.gozo.com/prestigeholidays/compare.html Gozo Prestige Holidays LTD. When in Valletta, Malta’s capital, stay at that island’s centrally located five-star property, The Meridien Phoenicia (800) 543-4300 www.lemeridienphoenicia.com Info@phoenicia.com.mt Text & Images, copyright, Marguerite Jordan |
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Located in the very middle of the Mediterranean Sea are
three islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino -- collectively known as Malta. Ages
ago they formed part of what was a land bridge between Africa and Europe,
providing a route for invaders and traders. Eventually the sea filled in
and now the islands are a small independent country and a getaway
destination best known to northern Europeans .– British, Germans, and
Scandinavians --in search of a quick sun and culture fix. 
Although most Americans have not yet discovered Malta’s
attractions, that is starting to change, because the national airline Air
Malta now offers direct flights from JFK to Valletta, the capital. 
Malta is, as Winston Churchill once described it, a ‘
tiny rock of history and romance’, heaped with the residues of its invaders.
Compared to most of the rest of the Mediterranean, Malta is one of the most
affordable locations, and what’s more, it isn’t burdened with excessive
tourbus tourism. English is spoken everywhere. 
In one afternoon, you can visit a 19th century Arab
market (souk) and a 15th century Baroque cathedral, as well as several early
Bronze Age temples. You can drive past vineyards planted a century ago and
swim at the beach where Calypso lured Ulysses with the promise of eternal
youth. You can choose to stay at five-star hotels on the main island, Malta,
or rustic farmhouse cottages on the coast of Gozo, a Nantucket-sized island
a ferry-hop away. 
From May to October you can expect excellent sunny
weather, and even in winter, the region has a very temperate climate. 
The result is a feature-packed trio of islands. In
population and size, it is roughly equivalent to Atlanta, Georgia (122
square miles; population, 373,000.) In reality Malta is a living museum of
European and African cultures. 
I felt like Goldilocks when I arrived. Malta island, as
fascinating as it is, was simply too big for my tastes. Comino, a petite
scrap of land with only six full-time residents and a hotel and resort, was
too small. But, Gozo, nine miles by five miles, and reachable, in
twenty-five minutes by ferry, was JUST right! It is an instantly likeable
place.
About 25,000 people live on Gozo, itself only one third
the size of Malta, and I wanted to be one of them. Nearly all visitors who
come to Gozo today do so strictly on a day trip from the larger island of
Malta, where the majority of the hotels and numerous historical and
architectural sites are to be found. What these trippers don’t know is that
a long-term stay on Gozo is an invitation to privacy and discovery. 
In mythical poetry the northerly island of Gozo was
known as Ogygia, home of the sea-nymph Calypso. The poet Homer wrote that
Calypso fell in love with Ulysses when he landed after his boat was wrecked
near her cave. She nursed him back to health after his harrowing ordeal,
nine days battling heavy seas, and promised him eternal youth if he would
remain with her. Alas, her hospitality, songs, poetry and other enticements
were not quite enough to keep him forever.
Ulysses did remain with Calypso for seven years, but
longed to be reunited with his wife and son. Eventually, when the great god
Jove demanded it of her, and Mercury delivered Jove’s message to her grotto,
Calypso let Ulysses go. 
Two wooded hills frame the beach at Ramla Bay, near the
villages of Xaghra and Nadur. A deep cave on the western end is thought to
be where Calypso lived. In villages near here and all over the island are
small hotels, B & B’s, and, most romantic of all, farmhouses that have been
converted to rental apartments. Nearly all are located near the coast, and
many have swimming pools as well. The island is made of limestone and so it
is that these former farm buildings are almost all honey-colored. They
glisten in the late-day sun.
Unlike the bigger island of Malta, which, though
beautiful, has an urban air, Gozo is more rural, with farmlands and gorgeous
hilly scenery. It is a complex, intricate place, full of discoveries –
ancient heritage sites, great diving, fine beaches, good restaurants, lovely
people. Throughout the year, but especially in summer churches hold festas,
the colorful "Village Happening" that is heralded by fireworks, banners,
bunting and parades of the patron saints. 
You can easily rent, via E-mail, an apartment, villa,
bungalow or seaside cottage or else you can stay in a number of handsome
hotels. Many European visitors return every year to stay at the charming,
and very affordable, farmhouses-turned-cottages. Coastal locations are
popular, but even if you prefer an inland spot, you are never far from the
water on Gozo. The beaches are lovely and the water is unpolluted. 
Couples and families alike enjoy the pleasures of
settling in to the 2 or 3-bedroom houses, many with swimming pools and
outdoor barbecue facilities. By renting a place, you can choose to eat all
or some of your meals at home. The stone buildings have been updated with
modern kitchens and bathrooms, but retain the feel of history. You can
pretend to be a Gozitan and do your daily shopping at the outdoor markets
which are filled with locally grown produce, and you can buy fresh fish
straight off the boat down in the harbors. Or, you can go out to eat or
drink at the island’s many restaurants, cafes and bars.
Climbing the worn stone steps in the old town of
Victoria, Gozo’s capital, the sun was warm on my back. From a shaded
doorway of a building built about four hundred years ago, I watched a
village woman making lace. She was seated on a metal chair in the sun,
facilely maneuvering her needle, turning white cotton string into a table
scarf. 
The woman was working it no doubt the same way as her
ancestors did when Victoria was queen and ruled over the three inhabited
parcels of land. Over my shoulder were some fields of green, surrounded by
rock walls. Farmers on Gozo raise potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas and
cauliflower, olives and capers. Along the coast, fishing boats were headed
out for squid and octopus as well as bream and dorado. 
On my way up to explore the Citadel and Cathedral, I
played with a little girl who was out walking with her mother and
grandmother. When I gave her my sunglasses to try on, she was acted as if
she had always worn them. She was charming in the way that four year olds
all over the world are. 
Exploring on this island can be done on foot, by car or
bus, and by boat. Local busses run between the port of Mgarr and Victoria,
and then between Victoria and the outlying hamlets. Sightseeing on all three
islands can be arranged by your farmhouse host or hotel concierge. 
Gozo is home to one of the world’s most ancient
temples, called the Temple of the Giants. It dates from about 3600 BC,
and pre-dates Stonehenge, the Mayan Temples, and the Pyramids. One of its
great stones has a carved opening which resembles one of Gozo’s other
famous sites, The Azure Window, a naturally occurring rock formation on the
coast.