Tradition has it that Gozo is Homer’s Ogygia, the island where the nymph Calypso held the Greek hero Odysseus captive for seven years. There may be other contenders for the honour, but there is certainly a strange enchantment about the place.
The Arabs named the island Ghawdex, meaning “joy”, which the Spanish later translated into the Castilian, gozo. For some reason, however, the local population still preferred Ghawdex (pronounced “ow-desh”), to which they have remained steadfastly loyal ever since.
Buildings on Triq ir-Repubblika, Victoria, Gozo.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
A boat on the Blue Lagoon, Gozo.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
No matter what history has thrown at them, the Gozitans appear to have adapted and then proceeded to carry on much as before. As a result, in Malta the Gozitans are known as a strong, resilient people who have the disconcerting habit of walking away with the nation’s top jobs. Indeed, there have been more Gozitan presidents, archbishops and chief justices than the Maltese would care to count.
Only one-third of the size of Malta, Gozo is still a land of farmers and fishermen. With an area of only 67 sq km (26 sq miles) and a population of about 37,000, it is possible to stroll along Gozo’s country lanes and goat tracks for an hour or more and see only a young boy herding his goats and sheep, or a farmer hoeing his fields.
In the countryside, flat-topped hills rise out of valley floors, drystone walls contour every gradient and church domes crest the skyline.
Taking the Ta Gurdan walk on the island of Gozo.
Malta Tourism Authority
In summer the hot sun bakes any ground that is not devoutly worked, but in spring the landscape is a gaudy patchwork. Carpets of miniature wild flowers sprout from apparently solid rock, thyme and wild fennel scent the air and, as far distant as one can see, there is the cobalt sea and sky.
Sadly (most would agree), larger, modern developments are becoming the norm here, too, and locals are struggling between cosmopolitan ideals and the desire to stay traditional and unique.