Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Gozo

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Gran Castello Historic House

    Formerly known as the Folklore Museum, this museum is formed from several former residential properties in the Cittadella. The properties would have been for the more wealthy local residents and were rather grand townhouses. They were merged together to form a museum in 1983 and there are displays about various trades and skills.

    Graffiti on one of the walls, 1848 if my knowledge of Roman numerals works out…

    The view over the rear gardens.

    A view of the rear of one of the properties.

    Some, er, equipment.

    Clothing as it might have appeared in the eighteenth century.

    I can’t disagree that there are a lot of stairs in the buildings, but I’m intrigued as to what on earth this person thought that the museum could do about it. I suppose they could have demolished the buildings and constructed a new one without stairs. This must be one of the few properties that Heritage Malta have where putting a lift in would be next to impossible and they’d also likely need to put three lifts in.

    I’m not overly engaged by folklore museums, but this location had the advantage that it was located within an interesting building with plenty of history of its own. The museum is well laid out and tries to tell the story of how people lived and worked in Gozo over the centuries. It was a bigger museum than I had expected as well, with plenty of hidden corners to explore around the buildings.

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Views From Cittadella Walls

    I’ll post separately about the Cittadella since it’s such an interesting fortification which is complex and rich in history. But below, as a starter since I have so many photos, are views from the walls of the Cittadella which visitors can freely walk around.

       

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Museum of Archaeology

    Gozo’s museum of archaeology is located inside an historic house, the Casa Bondi, just inside the walls of the Cittadella. Care was taken with the restoration of the building, which has been sensitively renovated and retains some architecturally interesting features. The museum was originally opened in 1960 as a general museum and has specialised in just archaeology since 1986.

    A selection of Roman anchors.

    A Roman tablet dating to the second half of the second century AD.

    This skeleton was found inside of a broken container, and it’s thought that it might be a burial conducted in a hurry by sailors who wanted to create a grave of sorts.

    A slab which noted the efforts of one soldier, Bernardo De Opuo, to fight the Ottomans when they invaded Gozo in 1551. Rather than see his wife and two daughters dragged into slavery, Opuo killed them and he was then killed himself in the fighting. He’s perhaps an unlikely hero, but there’s a street named after him in Gozo as well.

    The Maymūnah Stone, which is an Arabic tombstone which dates to around the twelfth century, a reminder of the different ownership of the islands. The stone itself was reused and was originally a stone from the Roman period and inscriptions from that date remain. The islands were Muslim until around 1224 when the Arabs left Gozo.

    This is the life-sized foot from a Roman statue and the stone was found inside of a wall inside the Cittadella.

    This tablet was found in 1855 and dates to the Punic period of Maltese history, to around the third century BC. Some of the tablet is missing, but it’s known to be a dedication to the renovation of a temple.

    This isn’t a huge museum and a visit isn’t likely to last more than an hour, but it’s well put together and has numerous interesting exhibits. I got in with my Heritage Malta pass, but it’s possible to buy individual admission or get a joint ticket with other historic attractions in Gozo.

  • Malta – Gozo – Citadel Stone Circle

    This would have been an interesting sight (not that they know what it is or how old it is), although since it’s not a special occasion it was covered up when I was in Gozo….

    This sign is located in front of the metal section at the base of the steps, so I assume the circle is under that….. It’s a shame they can’t place a clear covering over it (over the stone circle, not over the sign) so that visitors can see it when it’s not a special occasion….

  • Malta – Gozo – Gozo Nature Museum

    I suspect that Gozo’s nature museum will be swept away when the new national museum opens in a couple of years. As a museum goes, this was a bit hopeless and the staff member was polite, but seemed to have slightly lost the will to be enthused by the place.

    Rather irritatingly, the building that the museum is housed in is absolutely fascinating. It was an inn during most of the nineteenth century, and I can imagine the stories that this building must have. Unfortunately, other than for one brief mention on a sign, there is nothing else giving details about how the building itself evolved.

    Some stuffed dead animals, one of the highlights of the museum. These were the better displays, the rest really did just get in the way of seeing the historic building itself. The other highlight is the moon rock, the one which Heritage Malta haven’t had pinched.

    The museum does though to its credit have its own terraced area which looks out onto the Cittadella. It’s marginal whether visitors would spend more than fifteen minutes in the museum as it stands (and even then I’m allowing for a few minutes using the toilets) and it’s a poor use of the building which Heritage Malta own.

    Whilst I’m busy complaining about this, Heritage Malta list the top reason to visit this building as:

    “Housed in a building which dates back to the 1600s, full of authentic architectural features.”

    Which they promptly do nothing to explain at the site. Anyway, I like Heritage Malta, and I hope in a few years this site is repurposed when they have their new museum in Victoria open.

  • Malta – Gozo – Cassata

    I will say in advance that this isn’t Greggs standard, it’s just the cafe which is located inside the ferry terminal at Gozo. But as I had some time before the next ferry, I thought that I would try one of their cakes.

    I’m entirely confident that this probably isn’t the best example of a cassata, and it’s probably not meant to be served with a dent in the middle. I’d never actually heard of a cassata, but Wikipedia informs me that it’s “from Sicily, Italy and consists of round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese and candied fruit”.

    I find that foods that are coloured green usually taste like mud, but this was a pleasant exception. Lots of healthy sugar, a moist sponge filling and some candied fruit on the top. All very acceptable before the ferry journey.

  • Malta – Gozo – Ta’ Kola Windmill

    Located just a few metres from the entrance to the Ġgantija Temples, this windmill was first constructed in 1725. Unfortunately it wasn’t built very well, some dodgy use of stone and mortar was to blame, so they had to rebuild it in the 1780s.

    Bread is very important to the people of Malta, and they make it very well from what I’ve experienced, and the miller would have lived and worked here.

    The staff member at the front desk was enthusiastic and gave me a comprehensive introduction to the building and what there was to see in it. There are a lot of milling related items on display, some of which are from the last miller to have worked here.

    The recreated bedroom of the miller.

    Some kind of machine.

    And then the climb to the top of the windmill, up some fairly narrow steps at times. Fortunately I was the only visitor at the site, so I didn’t have to worry about passing people on the way up or down.

    This was what was at the top of the steps, the two stones which would have ground up the cereals into flour. There was also a lot less space than I had been expecting when I reached the top. I think I had expected some kind of viewing deck, rather than a functional windmill, but only two or three people could be up here at a time.

    Incidentally, one TripAdvisor review noted the below, and I certainly agree with them….. I was very brave though and struggled up.

    “There are very steep and narrow stairs to the top so if you have trouble walking or are nervous with heights it probably isn’t a good idea to go up.”

    I was using my Heritage Malta pass, but I think visitors who went to the temples next door also got free entrance into this mill. That has probably realistically boosted visitor numbers to a level which the mill might not otherwise have got, but it’s still an interesting site.

  • Malta – Gozo – Snake Warning

    There are snakes in the walls? I will ensure that I spent the rest of the week avoiding any wall, which could make walking slightly challenging….

  • Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Ta’ Rikardu Restaurant

    Located in the Cittadella in Victoria, I walked by this restaurant a few days ago and didn’t think of going in. There’s no external menu, although that’s likely a limitation of the historic area in which they’re located and the authorities not wanting them to bang up signs all over the place. The reviews are mixed, although generally favourable, but it was the dining environment that intrigued me.

    The downstairs of the restaurant, with the set-up being a bit confusing. I was told when after I entered that the restaurant was upstairs, as it’s on two floors, and so I start to plod up, before being told that I could sit downstairs as well. I just go where I’m put, so I just went upstairs anyway as I like to look confident in my decision….

    One of the reasons I went upstairs is that I thought that it might be a bit busier, but it transpired that I was the first customer of the day. Anyway, I was seated by a friendly member of staff and given a choice of two tables, both of which sat ten people.

    The restaurant got much busier later, but then the staff did I feel fail some of the customers. One man sat down with his backpack on the stool at the rear behind the table, but was then moved as he was told that the table he was sat at was reserved. He couldn’t have known that, but he then accidentally smashed a glass when picking his backpack up. I felt quite sorry for him, the staff really should have seated him rather than make his visit awkward. The staff then did the same to another two customers, although they didn’t smash anything when moving.

    So, although I was quite happy with the service for my meal, which was always polite and attentive, I was conscious it wasn’t good enough for others.

    This is the sharing platter, which I had seen photos of and was aware wasn’t as good as the one I had ordered in Valletta a couple of weeks ago. The bread was excellent and was another generous portion of it, which was freshly made and warm. The tomatoes had a clarity of taste, the olives were of a good quality, the capers added texture and the cheese had a rich flavour and quite a strong after-taste. I was less convinced about the need for the raw onions and the sun-dried tomatoes were at best adequate.

    The dining environment was though marvellous, a real feel of the old city centre of Victoria. This is the only restaurant in the Cittadella, with the exception of one more basic cafe operation, and has perhaps one of the best locations in the entire city. It wasn’t overly expensive, especially given that location, and the service for me was always polite, efficient and friendly. For others though, I do think they need to do more about their welcome and seating arrangements.

  • Malta – Gozo – Ġgantija Temples – Vandalism

    I visited the Ġgantija Temples today and one might think that leaving graffiti on the stones came to an end in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, not, this is just a link to show that vandalism of these historic sites still exists….

    https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160909/local/irreparable-damage-done-to-ggantija-temples.624487

    The man said:

    “Are you telling me I cannot write my name on this piece of rock? I didn’t know you can’t”.