Image credit: visitgozo.com
1. Want to eat the best Gozitan cheeselets? Try them in winter
This traditional craft goes a long way back in history and features popularly in Gozitan cuisine. Goats' or sheep’s milk is the best milk to create these divine cheeselets. As one can expect, rainfall during winter is much higher. This delivers a lot of nutrients to the grass, making it super nourishing for the cattle. When goats and sheep are taken to graze during wintertime, the quality and taste of this signature speciality become suppler and more flavoursome.
2. There are still residents living in the citadel
The number is less than 10 and it is diminishing. Still, to say that your home lies within a magnificent fortified city which has been occupied by man since prehistoric times is quite impressive!
3. There is no ‘Gozitan dialect’… there are several!
Oddly enough, even though Gozo measures just 67 square kilometres one can discover a handful of varying dialects. That’s right, although the distance between one Gozitan town and the other sometimes covers less than two kilometres, there are still several distinct pronunciations that easily reveal a local’s origins.
Image credit: @lisadams123
4. There are 46 churches, but only 15 villages
You cannot escape them, and they appear everywhere as you drive by. Sometimes they are small and discreet, tucked away in the countryside…other times they are grand and imposing, demanding your undivided attention. Churches in Gozo are rooted very deep within the island’s values. One thing is certain… if your holiday-to-do-list includes exploring a typical church, this will be very easy to cross off.
Image credit: @lisadams123
5. Rabat vs Victoria
Exactly 132 years ago back in 1887, the capital of Gozo 'Rabat' was changed to 'Victoria' in remembrance of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. This took place after a petition (signed by 68 of Gozo's most affluent people) was presented to the Queen herself. However, the name never really stuck. In fact, till this day locals still prefer calling it Rabat.
6. Ggantija Temples are older than the Egyptian pyramids
Nestled in the heart of Xagħra village lie some of the world's oldest, free-standing monuments — the megalithic Ggantija Temples. Composed of two structures, these majestic temples are older than both Stonehenge in the UK and the ancient pyramids in Egypt, fetching a remarkable age of some 5,500 years!