What it is like
One of the highest villages on Gozo, sitting on a hill with the land falling away on most sides, which gives it long views and a reliable breeze. The village is small, quiet and lived in rather than visited: a church, a square, a few każini and lanes narrow enough that two cars meeting is an event. Marsalforn, on the coast below, belongs to the same council and gets all the attention.
What is actually here
The parish church of Santa Marija is the reason to climb up. It was begun in 1690 and consecrated in 1726, making it the oldest consecrated parish church on the island apart from the Cathedral, and it is clad in onyx found in 1738 on a slope called is-Sagħtrija. The high altar, the choir and the baptistery are carved from the same stone.
In the chapel of the left transept hangs an Immaculate Conception known as tal-Virtù, of the miracles; folklore holds that the Virgin’s face turns pale before a natural catastrophe. The best known street niche in the village is il-Madonna Omm tal-Ħniena, called taċ-Ċiċri.
Crafts and sheep
Żebbuġ still has a craft tradition that is not entirely a performance for visitors: bizzilla, bobbin lace worked on a cylindrical cushion; nsiġ, or weaving; and kutri tas-suf, blankets made from sheep’s wool. The same sheep supply the milk for ġbejniet. None of it is organised into a visitor attraction, so you will find it by asking rather than by following signs.
Getting there
Buses from Victoria take about fifteen minutes and continue down to Marsalforn. By car the approach is steep from either side. Park at the edge of the village and walk in.
When to come
The festa falls in late August, about a week after Victoria’s Santa Marija. Spring is the best time for the walks along the ridge and down towards Xwejni, where the salt pans are worked in summer.
Questions about Żebbuġ
Why is the Żebbuġ church clad in onyx?
Because the stone was found locally. Onyx was discovered in 1738 on a slope called is-Sagħtrija within the village's own land, and it was used for the cladding and for the high altar, the choir and the baptistery. It is the reason the interior looks unlike any other church on the island.
What is the tal-Virtù painting?
An Immaculate Conception altarpiece in the chapel of the left transept, known locally as tal-Virtù, of the miracles. Local folklore holds that the Virgin's face in it turns pale before a natural catastrophe. That is tradition rather than record, and it is repeated in the village as such.
Are the Xwejni salt pans in Żebbuġ?
Administratively, yes. The pans run along the coast past Qbajjar, below Marsalforn, and both fall inside the Żebbuġ council area even though the village itself sits on the hill inland. Salt is still harvested there through the summer.
Is Żebbuġ worth a visit?
For the church and the views, and briefly. It is a working village with very little laid on for visitors, and most people pass through on the way down to Marsalforn. The climb up is steep and the lanes at the top are narrow enough to make parking awkward.