What it is like
A few streets, a chapel and then countryside. Santa Luċija is officially part of Kerċem, and it is the quietest named place on Gozo, which is worth saying plainly: there is no shop, no square worth the name and nothing scheduled. People come here to walk, or because they are staying in a farmhouse nearby.
It is also one of the greenest parts of the island, and for a specific reason. Three hills around the hamlet, Għar Ilma, Il-Mixta and Santa Luċija, each have a natural water spring.
What is actually here
The chapel of St Lucy was already recorded when the inquisitor Pietro Dusina made his visitation in 1575. It was rebuilt from its foundations in the 1790s and last enlarged in 1950. St Lucy is invoked for eyesight problems, and the feast falls on the Sunday closest to 13 December, which makes it one of the handful of Gozitan feasts held in the cold.
Saint Raphael Lake is close by.
The walk out to Ras il-Wardija
Above the hamlet, the Għajn Abdul plateau is described as the site of Gozo’s earliest settlement and leads on to the Mixta caves. From there a path runs parallel to the cliffs out to Ras il-Wardija, where there are remnants of a Punic settlement and a small temple. Nothing on this route is signposted in any useful way, there is no shade, and the cliff edge is unfenced.
Getting there
Easiest by car from Kerċem, which is itself a few minutes from Victoria. Bus coverage is Kerċem’s rather than the hamlet’s own, so check where the stop actually is before relying on it.
When to come
Spring, when the springs are still running and the plateau is green, or December for the feast. High summer is hot and shadeless up on the plateau.
Staying near Santa Luċija
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 Santa Luċija
Is Santa Luċija a separate village?
No. It is a hamlet of a few streets belonging to Kerċem. It has its own chapel and keeps its own feast, but there are no shops and no services; for those you go to Kerċem or Victoria.
When is the Santa Luċija feast?
On the Sunday closest to 13 December, which makes it one of very few Gozitan feasts held in winter. St Lucy is invoked for eyesight problems, and that is the reason most people give for coming.
What is the Għajn Abdul plateau?
The high ground above the hamlet, described as the site of Gozo's earliest settlement, which leads on to the Mixta caves. From there a path runs parallel to the cliffs out to Ras il-Wardija, where there are remnants of a Punic settlement and a small temple.
Is there anything to eat or drink there?
Nothing is listed. Assume you are bringing your own and that the nearest shops are in Kerċem or Victoria.