Stop 08 of 9
The Ramparts
Almost all of Gozo, at once
Narration · 3 min
Have it read to you while you look at the thing itself, hands in pockets.
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Guide to The Ramparts
From the wall you can see most of Gozo — fourteen kilometres by seven, terraced into small dry-stone fields and rising into flat-topped hills with a village on each. On a clear day the view reaches Comino, Malta, and sometimes Sicily.
Navigating by churches
On Gozo the churches are how you orient yourself. The enormous dome to the south-east is the Rotunda at Xewkija, among the largest church domes in Europe, raised by a village of a few thousand people who found the money and much of the labour themselves.
To the west, on its own hill, stand the twin towers of Ta' Pinu, the national shrine. Every village has one, every one is far too large for its population, and every one was paid for by people who did not have much.
Why the fortress is here and nowhere else
Look at the ground immediately below the walls. The rock falls away on every side and there is no approach that is not uphill and exposed.
On an island with no other natural strongpoint this is the only place a fortress makes sense, which is why one has stood here in some form for three thousand years.
The horizon
The low line to the north is Comino, and beyond it Malta. To the east, when the air is very clear, Sicily.
Both directions carry weight here: Sicily is where the relief force came from in 1565, and where the population of this island was taken to be sold in 1551.
What to look at
- The Rotunda at Xewkija — a dome out of all proportion to its village
- Ta’ Pinu’s twin towers standing alone on the western hills
- Dry stone field walls dividing the land into tiny terraces
Practical
- Access
- The rampart walk is free and open, with railings on the exposed sections.
- Wind
- It is genuinely windy up here most days. Hold onto hats and phones.
Walk to stop 09
Follow the ramparts round and take the steps back down to the main gate, then the road down into town. The bus terminus is beside It-Tokk.
About 6 min · 450 m