MALTA - ACCOMMODATION, HOTEL & TRAVEL GUIDE
HOTELS & RESORTS IN ATTARD, BUGIBBA & GOZO ISLAND

Gozo - A Different Haven of Ease and Quiet   by J. Attard

Featured Gozo Hotels  /  Self-Catering Accommodation on the Island of Gozo

Only 9 x 5 miles, one-third the size of Malta, the main island of the archipelago, Gozo has much to offer to the locals, foreign residents and to the tourists who come for a short stay. The Island's small size is a blessing in disguise and contributes in no small way to the easy way of life enjoyed by all who live here. One can walk to work in 5 minutes and cycle to a beach in 8. The school and the store are a stone's throw away and one does not really need a car except to go to the next village which takes roughly 15 minutes or less.

The villages are still separated from each other and are contained within their own territory. Each has its church, a school, the police station a pharmacy and the local council. In fact the villages compete with each other in football, the village festa, carnival participation and in many other areas as well. While travelling from one village to another one cannot fail to appreciate the beauty of the Gozitan countryside especially in the rainy winter months when it is like a lush green-coloured carpet. The air is clean and fresh and once again this is owing to the small geographical area. A slight sea breeze can easily sweep across the length and breadth of the island thus refreshing the atmosphere. In fact the fresh and invigorating air is the first thing that a newcomer notices when she disembarks from the ferry at Mgarr, the main port of Gozo.

As soon as one leaves Mgarr, which is quite busy most of the time, the visitor is also struck by the quiet environment prevailing across the whole Island.

Where else in Europe can you hope to stand in the middle of a village square in mid-morning on a fine week-day and not see a living soul or a passing car? Some of the smaller villages, like Ghasri, St. Lawrence, Sta Lucija and Munxar have under 1000 inhabitants and are obviously among those that enjoy this kind of quiet bliss all the year round. Here, the quiet atmosphere is only broken by the primeaval sounds of clucking hens or the rare braying of a donkey. However, even the capital town Victoria is relatively quiet especially in the afternoon and evening. Many of the village folk still stick to primitive customs of sleeping as early as an hour or two after sundown to wake up at the first cock-crow in the morning. They have to attend to a few sheep and goats and to some hens and rabbits that they keep in a small farmhouse (razzett) or in their own backyard. They also follow the age-old tradition of indulgeing in arable farming, though on a part-time basis and grow vegetables, potatoes, onions and fruit for their own consumption and sometimes for the market as well.

The Gozitan people are industrious and thrifty, flexible and quick to adjust and learn but above all they are very friendly and hospitable. They love foreigners and go out of their way to offer their help. This trait seems to be embedded in our characters, something that we have inherited from our forefathers together with our language, Maltese. The hospitability of the Gozitans together with their ability of communicating in English (and Italian) are two characteristics which are often praised by those who visit.

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