After feeling well and truly medicined by the wine pairings that accompanied our 7 course blind tasting menu at Legligin the night before, the last thing we thought we’d be doing was catching a fast ferry to Gozo.

After having a cuppa in our hotel room, we skipped breakfast and headed to the fast ferry terminal. it was an 18 minute walk from the hotel and was mainly downhill, so not too much effort.

When we arrived at the ferry terminal, the passengers from Gozo were just disembarking. The signage to get to the ticket office was a bit hit and miss, but we eventually found the entrance.

We joined the queue for “ticket holders” as we already had a Tallinja card which allowed us a return journey to Gozo, as well as unlimited bus rides for six days. However, we had to join the main queue where people were buying tickets, to get our own individual tickets for the ferry. We handed over our Tallinja card and this was returned to us with two extra tickets for the ferry. We also had to specify what time ferry we wanted to return on, so we decided that 16:45 was a suitable time.

We boarded the ferry with a few minutes to spare before it set off. We had a safety briefing and relaxed on our chairs inside the ferry.

https://gozohighspeed.com/pages/fares-and-schedule

We headed north west from Valletta, passing the island of Comino before arriving in Mġarr on Malta’s sister island, Gozo. It was a smooth crossing that took 45 minutes.

Mġarr is a small fishing town in the south east of Gozo. It has a few bars and restaurants along the harbour, so as we hadn’t eaten we went for lunch at a place called Il-Luzzu. They served a variety of sandwiches and other light lunches. We sat in the shade, the temperature was already early thirties.

We walked around for a while before catching a Bolt taxi to Victoria, which is also known by it’s original name of Rabat. It was named Victoria after the British queen’s golden jubilee in 1887.

Thankfully the driver dropped us at the top of the hill where the Citadella is located, so we didn’t have to walk up it. The Citadella, sometimes called the Cittadella or Castello, is a historic hilltop fortress that dominates the skyline of Gozo’s capital. Combining elements from the prehistoric, medieval, and Baroque periods, it has stood for thousands of years as the island’s main stronghold, playing a vital role in Gozo’s cultural, administrative, and defensive history. Entry is free to walk around, so we decided to explore a bit and see if we could get a good view from the top.

The Citadella’s history spans from its Neolithic and Bronze Age origins, through its role as a Roman acropolis, to becoming a medieval refuge from Saracen and pirate attacks. In 1551, it was captured by the Ottomans, leading to the enslavement of most of Gozo’s population. Rebuilt between 1599 and 1622 by the Knights of St John, the fortress gained its current bastioned design. It remained in use through the French invasion of 1798 until it was decommissioned by the British in 1868.

It is certainly an impressive place with key sites within the Citadella including the Baroque Cathedral of the Assumption (1697–1711), and the Cittadella Visitors’ Centre. Museums include the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, Gran Castello Historic House (folklore), Gozo Nature Museum, and the historic Old Prison. We visited the Gozo Museum of Archaeology which displays Phoenician, Roman and Punic artefacts include the Maymūnah Stone, a 12th-century Arabic-inscribed tombstone with Roman roots; Neolithic and Bronze Age figurines; and Roman and Punic artefacts like amphorae, funerary urns and inscriptions.

After leaving the museum, we explored the ramparts and walkable areas of the Citadella, taking in panoramic views of Gozo. We stopped for a quick refreshment at the cafe up there, which offered welcome shade from the searing temperatures. We then went back into Victoria to do some more walking and saw the impressive St George Basilica.

We walked down Charity Street (where there is an entrance into the basilica) and came across a niche of San Lwigi Gonzaga, which is small shrine set into the wall. On the floor below it was a square stone with the inscription below:

“NICHE OF

SAN LWIGI GONZAGA

THIS IS AN 18th CENTURY STATUE

A FEAST USED TO BE CELEBRATED IN FRONT OF THIS NICHE UP TO 1935 BEFORE THE BASILICA WAS EXTENDED SIDEWAYS.”

There are quite a few of these niches dotted about Victoria. Here’s another:

NICHE OF OUR LADY OF CHARITY THIS STREET IS APTLY NAMED CHARITY STREET AFTER THIS STATUE.

THE STATUE IS NAMED AFTER THE CHARITY CONFRATERNITY WHICH USED TO EXIST WITHIN ST GEORGE’S BASILICA UP TO 1620

This quiet street had many images of saints on the walls, including St George, patron saint of England. These were easily identified by the image of him slaying the dragon.

Moving on, we walked back to the main square and hired a cab to take us back to Mġarr Harbour, where we had one last drink before catching the ferry back to Valletta.

Once we’d disembarked, we accessed the upper streets (saving our tired legs from a big uphill walk) by using the Barrakka Lift. It usually costs €1, but we were given a free ticket for it when we were getting on the ferry at Gozo. The lift is a modern 58-metre vertical elevator linking Valletta’s Grand Harbour to the Upper Barrakka Gardens, offering a quick connection between the waterfront and city centre. It took 23 seconds to get from bottom to top.

At the top, we entered the Upper Barrakka Gardens, where we saw fabulous harbour views from Valletta’s highest terrace. This overlooks the Saluting Battery where daily cannon fire takes place at 12 pm and 4 pm. The terrace also features notable statues and memorials including Churchill, Strickland, Sir Thomas Maitland, and Les Gavroches.

We headed back towards our hotel and stopped off at a cafe where we had a couple of drinks before going to get showered and changed. I was glad of our air-conditioned room – I felt like I’d sweated buckets and I probably didn’t smell too clever either!!

For our last night, we decided to go back to Mamavon for our meal. We were treated so well again by the staff, and the food was delicious. We were treated to a glass of grappa and a shot of prickly pear liqueur before saying our farewells and heading back for a final dip in the jacuzzi and the daily fireworks going off in the distance.