QALA

Qala is the eastern-most point of Gozo and the village the furthest from the capital Victoria.

It lies near some spectacular coastline and offers clear views of Comino and Malta. Except for a few sheltered inlets such as Hondoq ir-Rummien, a secluded bathing spot, the coastline is rocky but it offers excellent walking country. Breathtaking scenes can be enjoyed from the Qala belvedere and from the small courtyard in front of a church dedicated to the immaculate conception. This Sanctuary has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries, certainly since Norman times. The area has many sites of historical and rural interest. The coastline here has several examples of one of the Knights most bizarre weapons, the `fougasse‘ – a primitive mortar fired from a rock-cut shaft.

Other sites include the salt pans, the Islands’ best preserved windmill, and prehistoric remains. The archaeological sites dates back to the temple period and Punic-Romano pottery sherds have been found here. A large slab, roughly the shape of a pyramid, may have been the cornerstone of a temple. It is known in Gozitan mythology as the seat of a giantess.