Gozo
Villages and hamlets
Eighteen places on an island fourteen kilometres across. Every one of them is built around a parish church with at least one każin facing it, and every one keeps its own festa.
- 18 places
- A festa most summer weekends
- One hamlet
Stock photograph
Central
Victoria and the two villages below it. Everything on the island is within fifteen minutes of here.
- Village Festa: The Sacred Heart
Fontana
The smallest village by area, strung along the road below Victoria, named for its springs and old wash-house.
- Town Festa: St George
Victoria (Rabat)
Gozo's capital and the one place that feels like a town. The Citadel above it, It-Tokk below, and most of the island's shops and buses.
- Village Festa: St John the Baptist
Xewkija
Dominated by the Rotunda, whose dome is visible from most of the island. Also where Gozo's industrial estate sits.
North
The plateau above Ramla, the salt pans, and the coast road running west from Marsalforn.
- Village Festa: Corpus Christi
Għasri
The smallest population on Gozo. Mostly fields, with Wied il-Għasri cutting down to a narrow inlet.
- Village · within Żebbuġ No parish of its own
Marsalforn
Gozo's seaside resort, busy in summer and surprisingly open in winter. The salt pans run west along the coast.
- Village Festa: The Nativity of Our Lady
Xagħra
The largest village by population, sitting on a plateau above Ramla. Ġgantija, Ninu's Cave and a square that fills up on summer evenings.
- Village Festa: Santa Marija
Żebbuġ
A hilltop village with long views, and the council that Marsalforn belongs to.
East
The harbour end. Where the ferry lands, where most of the farmhouses are, and where Gozo looks across at Comino.
- Village Festa: Our Lady of Loreto
Għajnsielem
The first village most people pass through, since the ferry lands below it at Mġarr. Fort Chambray sits on the headland.
- Village · within Għajnsielem No parish of its own
Mġarr
The harbour. Everything arriving on Gozo arrives here, and the marina and seafront restaurants sit around it.
- Village Festa: St Peter and St Paul
Nadur
High, spread out and fiercely proud of its carnival. San Blas and Daħlet Qorrot are both below it.
- Village Festa: St Joseph
Qala
The eastern edge of Gozo, looking across to Comino. Ħondoq ir-Rummien is below it.
South
Cliffs most of the way along, with two inlets cut into them and the quietest roads on the island.
- Village Festa: St Paul
Munxar
Small and inland, though Xlendi below it is what everyone actually visits.
- Village Festa: St Margaret
Sannat
Lace-making village on the southern cliffs, with Ta’ Ċenċ behind it.
- Village · within Munxar Festa: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Xlendi
A narrow bay with restaurants along the quay, sheltered when the north wind blows.
West
The emptiest part of Gozo. Ta’ Pinu, Dwejra below the ridge, and the highest ground at Ta’ Dbieġi.
- Village Festa: The Visitation
Għarb
The far west. Ta’ Pinu stands alone in the fields just outside it.
- Village Festa: Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Kerċem
Quiet and green, with the Lunzjata valley below and Santa Lucija within its boundary.
- Village Festa: St Lawrence
San Lawrenz
The village above Dwejra, quiet most of the year and busy whenever the sea is calm.
- Hamlet · within Kerċem Festa: St Lucy
Santa Luċija
A hamlet of a few streets within Kerċem, and the quietest named place on the island.
A festa most weekends from May to September
Every village keeps its own, and two band clubs to a village means the rivalry is half the point. Most fall on a rule rather than a fixed date, which is why the dates move.
What is open, what is on, which bay works
One email a month from the island: what has opened or closed, when the festas fall, what is in season, and anything we have corrected. No partner emails, and one click to leave.