Stopped the car while we were on the way to Xaghra to take this shot. I have taken many shots of the Cittadella along the years but I think this is one of , if not, the best.
The Cittadella is situated in the centre of Gozo, It overlooks Gozo’s main town of Rabat ( which was renamed by the British ‘Victoria’ for Queen Victoria). It has been the centre of activity of the island since Neolithic times, but is known to be first fortified during the Bronze Age approximately around 1500 BC. It was later developed by the Phoenicians and became an Acropolis in Roman times.
The north fortifications (on the right of the picture) date from the Aragonese period (13th century). The more modern walls were built by the Knights of St John between 1599 and 1603 for the better protection of the populations from foraging corsairs who roamed the Mediterranean. In fact, a Muslim attack on the island in 1551 carried the entire population into slavery.
The Dome of the 17th century cathedral dominates the Citadella skyline. It was designed by the famous Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa’ and is said to lie over the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Juno.
The walls of the Cittadella are undergoing extensive restoration as you can see from the scaffolding on the oldest parts of the fortifications on the right side of the picture.
Thank you so much for looking and for your great comments on yesterday's picture.
