Things to see and do Gozo & Comino

When the sun is shining, they are a good stopover. Closed in 2009 for renovation, they were reopened in 2012 after an extensive rehabilitation plan, partly financed by European funds. Advantage: they are gardens in bloom all year round thanks to plants imported from several European countries. At the bend in the paths, small monuments and plaques, recalling the island's events, pay homage to local personalities. Twice a year (July 18 and August 15), horse, mule and donkey races are held here.

Located 9 m deep, this cave is full of stalagmites and stalactites. Discovered in 1923, it is used by the family during the Second World War as an underground shelter.

These bells are all displayed in a niche which is located in Mdina Door Street, the street that leads to the Craft Centre. There are five of them, neatly lined up in order of size. A small sign indicates the date of manufacture (1639 for the oldest), the name of the person who cast them, the notes they play(D, F, A, Dsharp, Asharp), their diameter (from 735 to 1,472 mm) and their weight (from 400 to 2,000 kilos).

Dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, this handsome classical building with its triangular pediment is covered in marble. The church is defended by two cannons. Construction began in 1760, but the façade and wings date from the ^20th century.

These are the former prisons of the citadel, used between the ^16th century and 1904. In addition to the architecture typical of this type of place, you'll discover the inscriptions engraved on the walls by prisoners of different eras, including drawings of seagoing ships and handprints. It housed some notorious prisoners, including Jean Parisot de Valette, future Grand Master, who spent four months there in 1538 for assaulting a man.

Housed in a complex of three buildings dating back to the 1600s, once used as an inn and then as a refuge from aerial bombardment, it provides an insight into Gozo's natural resources and how they are used by the local people. The first floor features exhibitions on geology and minerals, with the geology section featuring marine organisms deposited between 35 and 5 million years BC. The upper floor is dedicated to the study of insects, flora and ecosystems of the Maltese islands, including Gozo in particular.

In the Maltese islands, it is one of the few surviving windmills dating back to the time of the Knights. On the other hand, the grinding mechanism of the Ta' Kola windmill was fully restored by Heritage Malta in 2016. This windmill is named after the last miller in charge, known as Żeppu ta' Kola, who single-handedly operated and maintained it with an admirable degree of diligence and ingenuity. And that almost to the last years of his life. Ġużeppi's exceptional skills as a millwright also proved extremely valuable when the islands experienced a fuel shortage during the Second World War, a period in which the steam mills were rendered inoperable. As demand grew for a constant supply of flour, Ġużeppi not only operated the windmill to grind grain for the local population, but also carried out repairs on a large number of cattle mills around Gozo, which had once again gained in popularity. Ġużeppi's legacy lives on in the windmill, which today houses an interesting display of vernacular furniture and a wide range of the handmade tools he used to maintain it. The Ta' Kola windmill is reached via Via Bambina, which faces a pretty little square characteristic of the island's typical small villages.

Nestled inside Gozo's Victoria citadel, this museum takes you back several centuries. It is located on the street named after Bernardo De Opuo, a Gozitan hero who, during the Turkish invasion of 1551, sacrificed his wife and children and fought to the death rather than be enslaved. The museum is housed in a group of interconnected ^15th-century houses, the only medieval houses of their kind in Gozo, with Sicilian-Norman windows on the façade. The complex of houses was restored in 1983 to house a museum. The ground floor and mezzanines of the house on the south side show the reconstruction of a historic house, with its working and living areas. The first floors of the whole complex are devoted to the rural environment, essentially agricultural. You'll also notice a spectacular cattle mill. On the second floor, you'll find furniture and tools related to local Gozo crafts, such as lace-making and weaving (including cotton gins and a spinning wheel). During your visit, you'll also find pottery, baker's, carpenter's and blacksmith's tools. There's also a very interesting collection of ex-votos, reflecting the piety of the period. All in all, there's everything to reflect the domestic atmosphere of an ^18th-century urban environment.

The village of Xaghra is perched on a high porous limestone plateau. The infiltration of rainwater has created caves, discovered quite by chance, by digging wells for two nearby houses. One of the family members will show you this cave, 24 meters long and 18 meters wide, located below the house. It was one of their ancestors who discovered it in 1888. He will reveal its existence only three years after he first entered it. During the visit you will discover beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.

This ambitious project, long cherished by Gozitans, bears the name of the only person who was willing to finance it in the ^18th century. After the invasion of 1551 and the Great Siege of 1565, which led to the decision to build Valletta, the inhabitants of Gozo felt the need to have a port fortress on their territory capable of defending them, like the new capital of the neighboring island. The knights were not averse to this project, which also concerned their security. However, the project was abandoned, unsuccessfully re-examined a century later, and finally adopted in the ^mid-18th century, when the coffers were empty and the knights' glory was in full decline. It was a military man, Admiral Jacques de Chambray, who provided the funds for this major undertaking, completed in 1761. The admiral was given the title of governor of Gozo, but the fort had little opportunity to shine, resisting Napoleonic troops for some time before becoming English. It was later converted into an asylum. Long empty and unused, it is now being completely restored.

Today, in addition to rehabilitation and restoration, new residential buildings have been built in keeping with the fort's architecture. Regrettably, this somewhat diminishes the massive, defensive aspect of the whole.

An anchor at the entrance of this old house announces the color. Different objects and boat models covering three centuries of maritime history are presented to you.

The first parish church of Xaghra - built in the th century in the north of the village on a promontory - was replaced by a contemporary building. Nearby you will find the remains of Santa Verna Temple, a prehistoric monument with only three levées.

Near the Ggantija Temple in Temples Street, this stone circle, also known as the Xaghra Hypogeum, is a Neolithic burial complex. It consists of a series of caves that were used to bury the dead, surrounded by a fortified enclosure. Discovered at the end of the 18th century, it was forgotten, re-buried and rediscovered in 1964. This circular alignment of megalithic stones was once more than 120 m long. Today, the remains extend over about 25 m and some stones are more than 2 m high.

The village developed from the end of the 17th century, when Bishop David Cocco Palmeri turned the Chapel of St. Anthony into a parish church. Later, under the impulse of the great master Gregorio Carafa, the villagers decided to build a vast church, first dedicated to Our Lady of Graces and then to the nativity of the Virgin. The church, with a classical Latin cross plan, was rebuilt, even more vast, at the beginning of the 19th century. But a plague epidemic, which raged in 1814, killing more than a hundred people on the island, led to the suspension of the work. Resumed around 1825, the work continued under the impetus of Father Buttigieg, who became the first bishop of the island in 1864. The church was completed in 1850, blessed on 14 February 1855 and consecrated on 26 May 1878. The dome was only erected in 1892 and decorated inside with the works of Virginio Monti (1929-1930). The church was given the title of basilica in August 1967 and from 2000 to 2003 restoration work was carried out on the bell towers, the roof and the dome. The facade, baroque, has two bell towers, one of which houses a bell weighing almost 3 tons, the oldest of the 6 bells dating from 1770. The clock is by a Maltese artist. As for the marble coverings, they date from the 1950s. Its interior is rich in furniture, sculptures and paintings, with a very baroque style.

An impressive overhang of almost 120 m above sea level is also an important bird sanctuary (almost 1,000 breeding pairs of Cory's Shearwaters and 300 pairs of Yelkouan Shearwaters). In the rock, the prehistoric chariot tracks may be those left by the machines that transported rocks to the island's temples. The scented scrubland is particularly pleasant in this part of the island. The Ta'Cenc, one of the most beautiful Maltese hotels, is located in this sumptuous setting.

The first asset of this place is the Folklore Museum which is housed in a huge and beautiful house dating back to the beginning of the 18th century which is worth a visit. A visit to the museum will also give you an insight into the traditions of Gozo and the daily life of a not-so-distant past. It offers a tour through 28 rooms filled with historical objects associated with the crafts, from milling to printing, wine making, fishing and blacksmithing.

Glassware factory, with the ever-impressive spectacle of glassblowers at work. But don't be surprised: the craft village is a real tourist magnet!

One of the most picturesque spots on the island. Daħlet Qorrot is reached from Nadur. This fishermen's haven lies at the foot of the northern cliffs in a cove whose waters are almost as clear as the blue lagoon... The charm of this place is due in no small part to the colorful doors of the fishermen's storage areas carved into the cliffs.On the way back, stop off to see an ^18th-century windmill and the church of Qala, known as Santa Marija tal-Blat and surrounded by fields that bloom beautifully in winter. Away from the crowds, the place to be.

You've seen them everywhere, these rounded, streamlined, often feminine sculptures, carved from globigerine, the beautiful local stone. Here's your chance to meet Joe Xuereb, copied but never equalled by so many craftsmen today! 30 years ago, Joe was trying to reproduce a Neolithic statue found in a temple. This was to be followed by a lot of work, a continuous flirtation with the objects found on the island by archaeologists, until he created an obvious artistic identity, today propelled on the international scene where he is nicknamed the "Gozitan Botero"! Joe will be delighted to open the doors of his studio, 100 m from the village church, free of charge. Don't hesitate for a second, especially as Joe speaks excellent French!

Anthony and Marisa have a passion for wine in them. Independently and with a lot of work, they have managed to revive the family's old vineyard. Today no chemical herbicides are used and they try to work in the most natural way possible. Their wines are the result of their efforts. After booking in advance, you can visit their estate in a spectacular setting. At the end of a tour of about an hour and a half, there will be a tasting of 4 wines, accompanied by bread and cheese from Gozo.

Transfers airport, taxi, accommodation, car rental, scooters, quad and boat, tours of the island by land or by sea… Both brothers and mothers manage with dynamism a small, versatile family business that has the sense of hospitality and personalized service. Ideally located in Gozo just at the ferry exit.