Gozo’s history is as vibrant as many of its features. To the locals, the island is known as Għawdex, a name in use since Arab rule. To the outside world, it’s the name the Aragonese bestowed upon the island that sticks: Gozo, meaning “joy”. And joyful it is.
With 300 days of sunshine, a coastline full of wonders and architecture spanning millennia, there’s a unique charm to this 26 square mile island. It’s a charm that many fell for: expats today and weary travellers in history’s dawn. The island is where Ulysses spent 7 years in Calypso’s embrace, the place where the epic Game of Thrones wedding between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo was filmed, and home to a thriving service industry built around environmentally friendly policies.
The geographical distance between Gozo and Malta is only 4.3 miles, but the islands are quite culturally distinct. Gozo is rural with a population that is more family and community-oriented. Much is centred around the village or town square, with the majority of villagers having a connection to or are members of the local band club, football club, or church organisation.
An eclectic mix of feasts dedicated to patron saints, themed festivals held almost every weekend, concerts of classical music and other musical genres, exhibitions, and theatre all add to a vibrant cultural calendar.
Today’s Gozo is considerably different from that of 15 years ago. It’s become a globalised multicultural island, with students, expats, digital nomads and retirees all contributing to Gozo’s way of life.
English and Maltese are spoken interchangeably by islanders, but the Maltese spoken in Gozo is slightly different than that spoken in Malta. Gozitans hold a distinct dialect that has retained its roots in the Arabic origins of the Maltese language. The dialect is used when a Gozitan is talking to another Gozitan with an immediate switch to ‘proper’ Maltese once someone from the larger island joins the conversation.
Gozo’s economy is highly dependent on tourism. Because of this, a very high percentage of Gozitans can speak Italian fluently, in additional to English, with smaller percentages fluent in French and German, too.
In a hospital setting, both Maltese and English are used interchangeably, with all notes provided in the English language.