Photos of Gozo and Comino, Malta

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Gozo and Comino

The island of Gozo, or Għawdex in Maltese, is Malta’s second-largest island; its inhabitants are known as Gozitans (Għawdxin). It is more hilly, rural and less developed than the island of Malta, but it has many points of interest. The island’s capital is Victoria (Rabat), with its Cittadella (Iċ-Ċittadella), also known as the Castello (Il-Kastell), with narrow alleys and good views.

View over Marsalforn
 
View to Marsalforn
 
Street in Żebbuġ
 
View to Victoria (Ir-Rabat Għawdex)
 
View to Victoria (Rabat)
 
Citadel of Victoria (Rabat)
 
View from Citadel of Victoria
 
View from Citadel to Victoria
 
Alley, Citadel to Victoria
 
View to Ta’ Pinu basilica
 
Basilica of the Visitation, Għarb
 
Woman with lace work, Għarb
 
Woman doing lace work, Għarb
 
Woman doing lace work, Għarb
 
Inland sea in San Lawrenz
 
Azure Window
 
Dwejra Bay, Fungus Rock
 
Bay of Xlendi
 
Playing ball, Xlendi
 
View to Xlendi beach
 
View from the bay of Xlendi
 
Beach and bay of Xlendi
 
Sunset over Xlendi
 
Knitting and lace work
 
Rotunda of Xewkija
 
Mary statue, Xewkija Rotunda
 
Ġgantija temple wall
 
Ġgantija temple altar
 
Ġgantija temple wall
 
Ġgantija temple niches
 
Ġgantija temple entrance
 
Parish church of Xagħra
 
Ramla Beach
 
Mġarr Harbour
 
View of Blue Lagoon, Comino
 
View to Saint Mary’s Tower
 

There are quiet villages and rich historic locations; the Ġgantija temple complex in the town of Xagħra in the centre of the island is the earliest of Malta’s Megalithic Temples; they are older than the pyramids of Egypt. The two Ġgantija temples date from the Neolithic (c. 3600–2500 BCE), makings these temples more than 5500 years old and the world’s second-oldest existing religious structures.

The island has few sandy beaches, but the resorts of Xlendi on the south coast and Marsalforn on the north coast are popular centres of water sports. On the rocky west coast, a 28 metre-tall natural arch, the Azure Window (it-Tieqa Żerqa), was a prominent feature, but on 8 March 2017, it collapsed during a storm.

The small island of Comino, between Malta and Gozo, served as a place of imprisonment or exile for errant knights in the 17th century. A fortified stone watchtower, Saint Mary’s Tower (It-Torri ta’ Santa Marija), was built in 1618 since ships travelling between Malta and Gozo were often attacked by Barbary pirates based on the cliffs and creeks of Comino. During the French blockade of 1798–1800, St. Mary’s Tower served as a prison by the Maltese insurgents and their British allies for suspected spies or French sympathisers. Just to the west of Comino is the tiny island of Cominotto, with Blue Lagoon (Bejn il-Kmiemen) in between.