Gozo's Citadel Restoration Inaugurated

On the 9th of July, the completion of the extensive restoration to the Cittadella in Gozo was inaugurated. The Cittadella rises above the town of ir-Rabat, also known as Victoria, Gozo's capital city. Like Mdina, the Cittadella is strategically perched high on a hill, and from here one can enjoy stunning views of Gozo. 

It is believed that the Citadel has been at the centre of activity in Gozo from as early as Neolithic times, what we do know is that it was definitely fortified during the Bronze Ages, which is around 1500 BC. It was further developed throughout the years, and the Romans used it as a complex Acropolis. After almost two centuries of being under attack by the Turks and Berber corsairs, which was in fact Gozo's darkest period, the Knights decided to reconstruct the Citadel between 1599 and 1603.

Over the past few years the Cittadella has had some major works done thanks to two restorations and rehabilitation projects which were co-financed by the European Union. The first project focused on the strengthening and stabilisations of the rocks beneath the fortifications, as well as the restoration of the fortification walls. The other project dealt with the creation of a visitors' centre, which took the place of two unused water reservoirs. Other developments that were carried out by this second project included the restoration of the façades of historic buildings, the rehabilitation of the ditch, as well as the reconstruction of paths, squares and streets within the Cittadella, amongst other things. 

If you would like to know more about this site, or if you would like to plan a visit, feel free to drop us a line by clicking here.  In the mean time, here's a short video related to the inauguration... 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malta's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Image
Malta, only 316 square kilometres in size, and home to an impressive 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. OK, so if you visit the UNESCO World Heritage Convention website you will find only 3 properties on the Maltese Islands inscribed on the World Heritage List - these are the City of Valletta, the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, and the Megalithic Temples of Malta. However, under the title of "Megalithic Temples of Malta" one can find seven temples around Malta and Gozo, so that makes the total of 9 sites in all. The oldest of all these temples are the two  Ġgantija temples that can be found on the island of Gozo. These temples are renowned for their gigantic Bronze Age structures. Dating from around 3600 to 3200 BC, they are the oldest, free-standing monuments in the world and are evidence that Gozo was inhabited for at least 1000 years before the Egyptians built the pyramids in Giza. Due to the gigantic dimensions of the monuments, locals believed that the temples were built by
Read more

Legends & Myths of Malta

Image
Malta's mysterious, 7000 years of history together with it's strong religious background makes it the perfect backdrop to a number of legends, myths and folk tales. Most of the stories find their foundations in truth and historical facts, with each story being embellished by every generation that narrated it. Other stories were used as explanations of different phenomena that people could not explain. Here are some of our favourite myths & legends... St. Paul & The Venomous Viper This is legend is probably the best known amongst the locals, as it is about Malta's Patron Saint and can be found in the Bible. The story says that when St. Paul was shipwrecked in Malta, he was gathering wood to make himself a fire, as he lit the fire a viper was driven out by the heat and bit him. The Maltese, who were very superstitious people, expected St. Paul to die of poisoning, however, he simply shook the snake off into the fire and no harm came to him. It is said th
Read more

Malta's Game of Thrones Locations

Image
As Game of Thrones fans all over the world celebrate the eagerly awaited sixth season of the hit TV series, we thought that it would be appropriate to take a nostalgic trip back to the first season. Back to the season that saw Viserys receive his crown of gold, the execution of Ned Stark and the wedding of Daenerys to Khal Drogo. As some fans may know, a lot of season 1 was filmed on location in Malta and Ireland, so we decided to list some of our favourite locations in Malta.  1. Mdina Gate - King's Landing Gate Mdina is a walled hill town found in the centre of the island. It is Malta's old capital city and dates back to around 4000 years ago.  In the first season of Game of Thrones, Mdina's city gate was featured as the gate of King's Landing and saw Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel ride through the gates of Mdina (or King's Landing) to investigate the attack on Bran.  2. Fort Ricasoli - Red Keep Gate Fort Ricasoli is a large fortification
Read more