WINTER ESCAPE IN GOZO: GOOD FOR YOUR MIND, BODY, AND SOUL
Gozo is a wonderful vacation spot all year long. Malta and Gozo continue to have plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures during the cooler months of the year when the winters in Northern Europe become gloomy and dark.
You can expect to find more peace and quiet away from the crowds during Malta and Gozo’s low season in the winter. In addition, you will save money by using off-season rates for services like lodging and travel. By spending time in nearby villages and touring the island at your own pace, you have more chances to interact with locals and learn about the Gozitan way of life.
IN OUR RENTAL PROPERTIES, WE CAN HELP YOU UNWIND.
At Gozo Self-Catering Holiday Home, we strive to help our guests make the most of their priceless vacation time. We don’t just arrange rental properties on Gozo. And one way we do this is by providing a variety of in-house extras.
One of the best ways to completely unwind is to schedule a massage by the pool. You can also hire a private chef. Additionally, we can set up yoga sessions on the island.
A fEW IDEAS FOR THINGS TO DO IN GOZO DURING THE WINTER
HIKING
Walking around the island during the winter is a great idea because of the mild sun and generally pleasant weather. After the autumn rains, the countryside is lush and green, with lovely sunrises and sunsets and a slower, quieter, more intimate pace of life. Photographers love the winter’s soft lighting because it makes for perfect conditions.
Check the weather the day before if you intend to go hiking because some of the rocks can become very slippery when it rains. There are numerous nature hikes in Gozo, all of the varying difficulty. There are numerous thorough route maps and descriptions available.
FESTIVALS
Christmas and Carnival are the two main winter festivals. Christmas preparations are best experienced in December during the Advent season, whereas Carnival is usually observed in February or March, just before Ash Wednesday, which ushers in Lent.
CHRISTMAS
A hillside in the Gozo village of Ghajnsielem is transformed into a representation of Bethlehem during the Advent season, complete with market stalls, a barn housing live animals, and even a manager housing the infant Jesus. A young local family acts out the nativity scene. The Adoration of the Magi then concludes the month-long celebration of the feast of the Epiphany, which is observed on the first Sunday following New Year’s Day. The three wise men ride their horses from Malta to Bethlehem, coming from a different place every year.
Additionally, Gozo hosts a variety of tiny neighborhood fairs, Christmas art markets, carol services, and church concerts during the Advent and Christmas seasons.
On Gozo, Christmas offers a chance to enjoy a less commercialized and more genuine holiday away from the crowds.
CARNIVAL
Traditionally, the Carnival season begins right after the Epiphany holiday. However, the Carnival celebrations typically begin in many villages in Malta and Gozo the week before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. The most well-known Carnival festivities in Gozo take place in the village of Nadur, where there are both unplanned street costume parties and a planned carnival with floats and parades.
SIGHTSEEING
The churches and museums of Gozo are best explored in the winter when it’s more peaceful and you can learn more about the island’s culture and history.
TA PINU
The Basilica of Ta Pinu is a national shrine that was constructed between 1920 and 1931 on the site of an old chapel dedicated to Our Lady, where a local woman is reputed to have received messages from the Virgin Mary in the 1880s.
The Basilica is a masterpiece of architecture, but you shouldn’t miss the 20 mysteries of the rosary mosaics in the parvis of the shrine, which commemorate the events in Jesus’ and his Mother Mary’s lives. There are 14 stations of the Way of the Cross on the Ta Ghammar hill in front of the basilica, which you can also explore.
XEWKIJA ROTUNDA
The third-highest unsupported dome in all of Europe can be found on the church of St. John the Baptist in the Gozo village of Xewkija. It is situated on top of a smaller, earlier church that was built on the foundations of pagan temples.
GGANTIJA
The Megalithic temple complex Ggantija in the village of Xaghra is older than the Egyptian pyramids and, after Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, is the second-oldest man-made religious building in the world.
CITTADELLA
A fortress in the middle of the island called the citadel in Victoria was constructed over earlier fortifications during the medieval era. Because it had been rebuilt and rebuilt repeatedly after that, it has many different layers of history. The people of Gozo where required by law to remain within its walls from dusk to dawn up until 1653.
The Citadel is a fascinating place to visit and now houses churches, museums, and historic buildings.
