Monuments to visit Gozo & Comino

The Citadel, or Gran Castello, was built by the Knights in the ^15th century. The Citadel's north side dates back to the Aragonese period, while the south side was rebuilt under the Knights of St. John, between 1599 and 1603. From its hilltop position, the Citadel kept watch over the whole island, defending it against Ottoman attackers and frequent pirate raids. Until 1637, all the island's inhabitants made their way to the citadel at sunset, where they spent the night, safe from attack. By the ^18th century, its defensive role had come to an end, and the citadel was abandoned. You'll notice the arches supporting the ceilings and exterior vaults: the limestone beams can't exceed 1.50 m without risking cracking.

The Visitor Center. Since the Citadel's renovation, the city's former water reservoirs have been converted into a small museum of the Citadel and Victoria. After taking in the various museographical elements, a show takes you through a dark tunnel to discover Calypso (or rather, her hologram), followed by an 8-minute 3D projection on the ancient walls of the reservoir, where you'll be taken through Gozo's history.

The ramparts. From here, there are beautiful views of the sea and neighboring villages: Zebbug, Marsalforn and its hill, Xaghra and its church and, in the far east, Qala. To the southeast, we can make out Xewkija and, almost in line, Comino and Malta. From the bastion of San Michele, you can see the cathedral's dome, the dome of Xewkija's church and, less clearly, the headquarters of one of the two brass band clubs, the Stella, with its small dome and flag, as well as the theater of the other, the Astra.

The moat. They have been uncovered since the renovation, which was accompanied by the creation of new flowered areas. With a view to modernization, many events and concerts are now held in the former moat, with its unreal acoustics and majestic setting.

The grain silos. On the ramparts, an interesting World War II shelter in former grain silos used to supply the lord's court in case of siege. The narrow tunnels lead to three huge oval caves carved in stone, with openings at the top for pouring grain and, during the war, water. The echo is fantastic...

Along the streets. Lose yourself in the winding lanes - at night, the spectacle is even more magical - and you'll stumble across the historic chapel of Saint Joseph and a number of sacred niches and bas-reliefs. Pay close attention to the well-preserved Norman-style windows and arches, and the coats of arms inlaid on the facades of historic houses and churches.

Craftsmanship. Gourmet stores sell cheeses, honeys, nougats and wines, including the typical cittadella (red or white). Through the open doors of some stores, you can see women busy with lace-making. Near the little ^16th-century chapel of San Giuseppe, a pretty old house displays interesting local objects, weapons and traditional tools. Near the bastion, in a side street, jewelry, lace and candle makers set up shop.

This tower, erected in 1652, dominates the coast. It is made of the same stone whose main quarry is dug into the side of the cliff that slopes down to Dwejra Point. It was built and armed with three powder cannons by Grand Master Lascaris.

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.

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.

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.

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.