GRAN CASTELLO HISTORIC TOWN

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. In 1983, the complex of houses was refurbished to house a museum. The first floor and mezzanines of the house on the south side show the reconstruction of a historic house, with its working and living spaces. 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.