map outside.indd - Wied il-Mielaħ

This is a circular walk around the village of G˙arb, the westernmost
village of Gozo and an area of exceptional natural beauty. The name of
the village is self-explanatory; g˙arb is Maltese and Arabic for west, so it is
possible that it got its name during the Arab rule (870-1127). The village is
bordered by three hamlets: Ta’ G˙ammar, Birbuba, and Santu Pietru.
This walk will touch all three. The motto of the village is In extremo vigilat
– Sentinel at the borderline… of the island of Gozo.
THE ROUTE The walk starts and ends at the majestic 1 Awrikarja ta’
Pinu – a Norfolk Island Pine at the Rabat–G˙arb–Ta’ Pinu crossroads. It
proceeds towards 2 Ta’ Pinu National Sanctuary, 3 in the hamlet of Ta’
G˙ammar, down triq Ta’ Sdieri, 4 across a bridge, and up to 5 TalBlata area. From there a U-turn leads into triq il-Blata and down the whole
length of 6 7 8 Wied il-Miela˙ up to the western coastline of Gozo 9
with the strikingly impressive natural megalithic arch. It follows about i
kilometer of the coastline up to an area known as Taç-Çawla 10 11 and
then up a country lane that comes to an end by the
chapel of San Dimitri, 13 Gozo’s best known legendary
ary
spot. From the chapel, a narrow lane meanders gently
tly
through the fields that widens into triq Birbuba 14 15
16 17 18 that got its name of the hamlet. At its end, it
proceeds to the right into triq Mongur touching thee
n
hamlet of Santu Pietru 19 20 21 and then a U-turn
down to TaΩ-Ûejt chapel. 22 23 From the chapel itt
continues up Triq il-Madonna tal-Virtut 24 to the
village main square. It proceeds along the street in
front of the parish church up to a former windmill.
At this point, it is possible to either go straight to
the G˙arb–San Lawrenz junction, or make a right turn
urn into Triq
Karmni Grima 25 and then a left turn into Triq Tumas Cassar 26 up to the
main thoroughfare. Ta’ Dbie©i Crafts village 27 lies almost in front below a
hill of the same name. 28 29 The street leads to the just mentioned junction
and after a few hundreds metres back to the majestic pine.
THE WALK 1 The large Pine at the Rabat–G˙arb–Ta’ Pinu crossroads
is the starting and finishing point of the walk. The main road branches
towards Ta’ Pinu – the National Sanctuary of Malta and Gozo. A number
of seventeenth century farmhouses still stand, on the left, in the Wied talWieri, literally the tough valley.
z 2 After a bend in the street, the magnificent Sanctuary of Ta’ Pinu
springs into view. Until 1883, the site now occupied by the church was
nothing but a tiny chapel dedicated to the Assumption on the Óotba or
knoll of Pinu, the name of a benefactor of the chapel. It had stood there
weathering rain, lightning, winds, and sun from at least the fifteenth century.
On 22 June 1883, Karmni Grima, a peasant woman, claimed that a voice
from the altarpiece invited her inside to pray. The
ple
secret was broken some three years later and people
began to flock to the place from near and from far.
ar.
ary
The foundation stone of the monumental sanctuary
was laid on 30 May 1920 and it was consecrated
ed
on 13 December 1931.
z 3 Ta’ G˙ammar hill in front of the Sanctuaryy
rises close to 170 metres above sea level. Along
g
the path going to the top, there are the fourteen
stations of the Way of the Cross, representing
the salient moments of the Passion and Death
of Christ. The hamlet of Ta’ G˙ammar is
about one hundred metres beyond the Sanctuary.
ary In its midst,
midst
there is a chapel dedicated to Saint Publius, bishop and martyr.
z 4 A turn left leads down Triq Sdieri across a bridge built by the British
in 1853. Triq Sdieri ends in Pjazza Ta’ Fuq il-Blata, now officially known as
Pjazza Gerano 5 , and a U-turn leads into triq il-Blata, meaning Rock street
t place was once a rocky plateau and the
as the
lane
lan along Wied il-Miela˙.
z 6 Ta’ Ìurdan hill, on one’s right, is clearly
identifiable
id
with its towering lighthouse that
started
st
to operate on 15 October 1853.
Beneath
Be
Ta’ Ìurdan hill and much closer there
is a hillock known as Il-Óotba ta’ Kançla. A
number
n
of small arch bridges have been built
i 2009-2010 across the valley to preserve the
in
valley bed and ease water percolation.
Here the geology of the hills and
busy months for olive production in an Olive Yard 18 nearby.
z 19 21 22 23 A few paces down the street on the left, there is an alley
20 Trejqet tas-Sisien where there is a typical vineyard that is open to visitors.
z This walk proceeds to the right into triq Mongur touching the hamlet of
Santu Pietru. A U-turn leads down to a chapel dedicated to the Visitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth and locally known as TaΩÛejt. It is first recorded in 1575, when it was in an excellent condition. On
29 August 1679, the chapel became a parish church, the first in the west of
Gozo. It served as a parish for fifty years, until 1729. The zuntier or cemetery
adjoining the chapel dates to 1703. At the entrance, there are two impressive
sculptures of souls burning in fire. According to a legend, a poor lady who
ran out of oil to light in front of the Holy Picture in the church discovered a
trickle of oil flowing from beneath the chapel’s parvis.
z 24 The street from in front of the chapel proceeds up Triq il-Madonna
tal-Virtut. Past the back of the parish church to the left there is a bronze
monument of Francesco Mercieca – known to one and all as Frenç tal-G˙arb
(1892-1967). Thousands sought his help and his herbal medicine. The
shed where he saw people is further down the street. His house turned into a
Museum is close by and can be visited by appointment.
z The parish church with its beautiful façade dominates the village square.
Work on its foundations started in 1699 and it took thirty years to complete.
The church was blessed in 1729 and consecrated on 28
September 1755. A number of beautifully executed
ed
sculptures adorn the front.
z The oblong square in front is graced by an
array of old houses with beautiful doorways
ys
complete with stone and iron balconies. A
couple of the fronts are further embellished
d
with niches. The central house, dominated byy
a statue of Saint Joseph, carries a lot of typicall
architectural features including the early roll
or fat mouldings of Maltese sixteenth century
architecture. Its twenty eight rooms now
houses the privately owned G˙arb Folklore
Museum, opened October 1996. A tour of these
hese rooms
gives the visitor a glimpse the trades and crafts of Gozo past.
z The typical stone plinth with cross on one side of the village square
dates to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Adjacent to the cross
there is a typical Victorian red telephone box. The stone balcony at the
extreme end of the oblong square is one of the earliest in the village. It
carries several sculptured floral and geometric designs and two pairs of the
eight-pointed Maltese cross on the sides.
z 25 The walk proceeds from the village square along triq il-Knisja in front.
At one point, there is a windmill known as Ta’ Borom, literally of the pots,
after the nickname of the miller. It dates to the late eighteenth century.
z 26 27 At this point, it is possible to either go straight to the G˙arb–San
Lawrenz junction known by locals as il-Fgura; or make a right turn into Triq
Karmni Grima and then a left turn into Triq Tumas Cassar up to the main
thoroughfare. Ta’ Dbie©i Crafts village lies almost in front below a hill
of the same name. It is set in a former British army barracks. The road to
the left leads to the junction at il-Fgura.
z 28 Il-Fgura, the village approach from Rabat is so called after a figura or
statue of the Blessed Virgin venerated in a shrine close by since at least
1592. 29 The niche was re-sited in its present position in February 1976.
Up to the 1930s, the three sections of the village of G˙arb vied with each
other in setting alight the largest bonfire, ˙u©©ie©a, on certain feast days.
z 30 Just beyond the shrine, within an old farmhouse, there is the
Karmni Grima Museum that can be visited by appointment.
Karmni Grima (1838-1922) was a peasant women, who at the age
of 44, claimed that a voice from the altarpiece at Ta’ Pinu invited
her inside to pray. The place is furnished with original nineteenth
century furniture and included the original kitchen, dining room, and
bedroom. There is also a Mit˙na tal-miexi in situ, a mill for grinding
corn rotated by a beast of burden. Circa 50 to 100m further up the
road, toward’s one’s left, there is the çangar 31 , a passage with
flagstones in the middle of the fields which served as a short-cut for
far
farmers
and for Karmni Grima to walk to Ta’ Pinu
Chapel.
Ch
z A couple of hundreds metres down the street
towards
to
Rabat brings one back to the point of
departure
de
of the walk, the majestic pine.
z This country walk will not be complete if one does
n
not pay a visit to the Apiary 32 . Gharb Pure Honey is
a gourmet, 100% pure honey, produces by bees in
harmony
h
with nature on the Grima family’s apiary.
Here you can witness bees working on the blossoms of
several species of plants and trees grown on this apiary.
WIED IL-MIELAÓ – GÓARB
Country Walk
Useful telephone numbers:
Emergency
112
Ambulance
196
Gozo General Hospital 2156 1600
Gharb Police Station
2155 6409
Victoria Police Station
191
Environment Protection 2290 7301
Government Information
153
Telephone Operator
1182/
1187/ 1189
Gharb Local Council
2156 0556
Ministry for Gozo
2156 1482
Min. for Foreign Affairs 2124 2919
Gozo Tourism Ass.
2156 5171
Malta Tourism Ass.
2291 5000
Gharb Parish Office
2155 6109
Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary
2155 6187
Karmni Grima Museum 2155 6187
Gharb Folklore Museum 2156 1929
Frenc tal-G˙arb Museum 2155 3109
Gozo Channel Co. Ltd. 2210 9000
Malta Inter. Airport
2124 9600
Tourist Info. office
2155 0254
Bus Numbers
2155 9036
for Public Transport (1,2,91)
Pharmacies
Ghajnsielem
2156 3017
Kercem
2155 3018
Marsalforn
2156 3617
Nadur
2156 3589, 2156 6431
Qala
2155 5348
Sannat
2155 9970
Victoria
2156 3233, 2155 6170
Victoria
2155 6970, 2155 1841
Victoria
2155 6170
Tac-Cawla
2155 7819
Xaghra
2755 1140, 2156 1486
Xewkija
2156 3052, 2155 7278
http://wiedilmielah.gharbnet.com
PROJECT PART-FINANCED
BY THE EUROPEAN UNION
European Regional Development Fund
Wied il-Miela˙ – towards an ecologically and
culturally sensitive sustainable tourism (ERDF 022)
Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013
Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life
Event part-financed by the European Union
European Regional Development Fund
Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds
Investing in your future
Co-funded by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Consumers,
Fair Competition, Local Councils & Public Diologue and by the Gharb Local Council
Parliamentary Secretary for Consumers, Fair Competition,
Local Councils & Public Dialogue
Design & Printing: A&M Printing - 2155 3217
GHARB
he
valleys is especially related to the rock that forms the
er
island. The uppermost layer is known as the Upper
Coralline Limestone. The flat typical hills of Gozo, as
d
Ta’ Gurdan, are topped by a plateau of this rock and
g
the hills are separated from each other by low-lying
o
plains where the rock has been eroded down to
the globigerina limestone strata – another layer off
rock that is relatively softer. Wied il-Miela˙, as other
valleys, part from the plains between the hills of Ta’
G˙ammar and Ta’ Dbie©i and ends on the coast.
early visible
Layers of the yellowish globigerina limestone are clearly
along the valley bed of Wied il-Miela˙. Due to its relative softness, this rock
is excellent for building purposes. All houses on the island are built of this
limestone to here. The area to the right, as one starts the descent to the
valley, was formerly a quarry known as Tal-Qsajjam.
Wied il-Miela˙ is rich in flora. The way down the valley thrives with
vegetation typical of most Mediterranean countries, vegetation that has to
live through the heat and dryness of summer, and to be strong enough to
resist the windy gusts for most of the year.
Yellow rather than green is the most prominent colour along the valley.
From late autumn until spring, many fields bloom with the small yellow
flower of the Cape Sorrel, il-Óaxixa IngliΩa, literally, the English plant.
Looking alike from a distance, but very distinct at a closer look, are the
bright yellow flowers of the Field or Shrubby marigold, suffejra. It is another
common flower dotting the countryside from November onwards.
In early summer the caper plant, kappara, growing from cracks in rocks,
is in bloom with a four-petalled flower with prominent purple stamens. One
often meets people picking the flower buds to pickle them. The sweet smell of
the Mediterranean Thyme, sag˙tar, with clusters of small pink flowers fills the
air in spring. A number of endemic plants thrive closer to the coastal area.
z Going down the valley, one cannot fail to notice the dry-stone walls, the
˙itan tas-Sejjie˙. They are built with pieces of stone that are fitted together
without the use of any sort of mortar. They are also referred to as rubble
walls as the masonry is constructed using rough unfinished stone masonry.
Wied il-Miela˙ is also rich in fauna. Mid-way along the valley one
cannot fail to notice a typical pigeon loft, barumbara 7 .
z 8 The Wied flows into the sea at the north-western corner of Gozo,
where there is a spectacular view of It-Tieqa ta’ Wied il-Miela˙. It-Tieqa,
literally a window or aperture, is a natural megalithic archway over the sea
hollowed out by the waves pounding on the soft lower layers of the rock
for thousands of years. It is imperative to proceed with great caution. At
this point there is a recreation area.
zT
The sea below, accessible only by boat, is considered
by experts as a truly outstanding dive site. Years
ag
ago, when poverty reigned supreme, some dauntless
an
anglers hung themselves down the rocks to fish in the
o
otherwise inaccessible sea below.
z 9 This walk proceeds opposite, to the left, parallel
tto the coastline for the next kilometre or so. It is
i
imperative
to keep one’s distance from the cliff edge.
After
A
a ramp, the rough road soon turns into a path,
and eventually over an area of exposed globigerina
limestone. Along the way there are a number of fossils
embedded in the limestone. The stretch of yellowish
globigerina
by the coastline comes to an abrupt end at one place
l bi i limestone
li
and there is an outcrop of the darker lower coralline limestone at a lower
level. It is imperative to note this for to proceed with this walk, one has to
turn left at this point up a path some hundred metres from the coastline.
z 10 A detour some two hundred metres left of this path, brings one to a
crevice known as Óarq ta’ G˙ar il-Óamiem. On windy days, sea water
is pushed up a tunnel filling the crevice.
z 11 The path proceeds through an area known as Taç-Çawla and across
a field with a number of mysterious megaliths scattered upon its surface
that cannot be missed. The path soon becomes a country lane and at a
Y-junction, one is to follow the lane to the right. The chapel of San Mitri,
the only landmark in the area, becomes partly visible at this point. The lane
wends its way between the fields up to the chapel of San Mitri. After a few
hundred metres, one reaches the chapel from behind; a lane to the left leads
to the chapel. One has to retract one’s steps to proceed with the walk.
z 12 13 The Chapel of San Mitri, Gozo’s best known legendary spot, is first
recorded in 1575, but the present structure dates to 1809. The altarpiece depicts
the soldier San Mitri on a white stallion with an old lady on her kneels thanking
him for rescuing her son, who is still in chains, from slavery. The legend says that
San Mitri brought her son Mattew back to Gozo on his stallion.
z 14 15 16 17 From the chapel, one has to retract one’s step on the previous
lane. The narrow lane meanders gently through the fields that widens into
triq Birbuba in the centre of a hamlet of the same name. July and August are
J
9
A
Welcome sign with
Locality emblem
Shrine – Ta’ Pinu
C
Public convenience
Vineyard
8
N
Parish Cemetry
and taz-Zejt Chapel
O
Parish Office
P
Youth Centre
Q
Supermarket
10
Olive’s Garden (Apiary)
B
L
K
11
D
Telephone Box
E
Bus stop
U
Museum
WSC
R
Police Station
F
Info-kiosk
S
Bar/Restaurant
G
Letter box
T
Primary school
H
Points 5-8 EU funded
project - Wied il-Mielah
towards an ecologically
and culturally sensitive
sustainable tourism
project
V
Post office
W
Government clinic
X
Ta’ Dbiegi Crafts
Village
Y
Karmni Grima path
Z
Local Council
I
Commemorative plaque
J
Recreational Area
K
Danuta Hubner visit
plaque
12
7
13
J
M
14
D
Enemalta
L
Wied il-Mielah Window
M
San Dimitri Chapel
Diving
Boat Rides
Binocular View Point
15
Hourse Riding
Olive Yard
Bicyble Hire
6
16
Triq San Dimitri
Triq Isqof Molina
17
Triq San Katald
J
Triq il-Blata
18
19
Triq Mongur
4
I
Triq Birbuba
20
3
E
D
21
23
Q
Triq Patri Albert Caruana
Sqaq Papa Kelment XIV
5
Triq Trux
24
Triq Sdieri
F
J
Triq Frenç tal-G˙arb
Triq 29 t’Awwissu 1679
Sqaq Frenç tal-G˙arb
S
E
22
B
2
U
D
C
N
Triq Santu Pitru
D
Triq Virtu
U
C
O
Sqaq l-Arçipriet
S
E
Triq Da˙let Mexwell
P
E
Triq Dun Alwig Mizzi
F
U D
Q R
Q
S
Triq il-ViΩitazzjoni
Triq il-Knisja
Triq l-Arç. G. Camilleri
Triq Kan. F. Mangion
Triq Karmni Grima
E
V
Z
Triq Felic Grech
25
Triq Albert W. Ketelby
E
Triq Tumas Cassar
J
28
26
D
Sqaq il-Fgura
Q
S
Triq l-G˙arb 29
Y
U
RT
X
31
STA
27
E
Country Walk
Residential Roads
Valley Roads
Valley Course
Triq Ta’ Pinu
E S
D
C
Triq Fran©isk Portelli
30
1 1
I
32 K
A