What it is like
Sannat sits on the southern edge of the island with the Ta’ Ċenċ plateau behind it and nothing beyond that but the cliffs. About 2,200 people live here. The village itself is ordinary in a way that is not a criticism: houses, a square, a church, a każin or two, and almost no provision made for visitors. What brings people is the ground behind it.
The name probably comes from an Arabic-Greek family that moved to Gozo from Sicily.
What is actually here
The parish was established in 1688, among the first to be separated from Rabat, and made archipresbyteral in 1893. The church of St Margaret the Martyr was built in 1718 on the site of a smaller one, consecrated in 1755 and re-consecrated in 1868 after structural changes. The altarpiece is by Stefano Erardi.
Sannat is the historic centre of Gozitan bobbin lace. Bizzilla is worked by hand on a cylindrical cushion with wooden bobbins called ċombini, and this is where that tradition is rooted, though you will find lace for sale all over the island and not all of it is local.
Ta’ Ċenċ
The plateau is garigue: thin soil, low scrub, bare rock. On it are the remnants of L-Imramma temple and three dolmens, none of them presented or interpreted in any way. The cliffs below are the highest on Gozo. There is no fence, no shade and no water, and the wind up there is stronger than it looks from the village.
The Ħanżira valley cuts a gorge between Sannat and Xewkija.
Getting there
About ten minutes from Victoria by bus or car. The walk up from Mġarr ix-Xini is steep and considerably harder than the map suggests.
When to come
Spring and autumn for the plateau and the clifftop walks. July for the festa, with the date confirmed first. Avoid the cliffs altogether in strong wind.
Staying near Sannat
Prices and availability come from the booking sites, not from us, and we have not stayed in any of these. How this site is paid for.
Questions about Sannat
Where are the highest cliffs in Gozo?
At Ta’ Ċenċ, immediately behind Sannat. The plateau above them is garigue rather than farmland, which is why it looks bare, and the cliff edge is unfenced. Keep well back in wind.
When is the Sannat festa?
The festa of St Margaret the Martyr is kept on the last Sunday of July, with the week before it given over to the build-up. Her own feast day in the calendar is 20 July, which is why you will sometimes see that date printed instead.
Is Sannat where Gozo lace comes from?
Sannat is the historic centre of it. Gozitan bobbin lace, bizzilla, is worked by hand on a cylindrical cushion using wooden bobbins called ċombini. Lace is sold across the island, much of it not made locally, so ask where a piece came from.
Can you walk from Sannat to Xlendi?
Yes. The Xlendi walk passes Ta’ Ċenċ and the Sanap cliffs on its way round. It is a clifftop route with very little shade and no water on it, which matters more than the distance does.