After our greater than planned adventure of the day before we deided that a low-energy day was in order. The Ggantija (rougly, “Juh-gen-tee-yuh” or “juh-gant-EE-ah”) is a notable neolithic temples sites on Gozo. It’s not the only such arecheological site from 5,0000 years ago but it is here and one of the best preserved. The temples are located in the town of Xaghra (“SHAH-ra”, more or less though I think I heard it as “Zah-ra” as well) which is a sizeable place, second only to Victoria, in population. We would only see a tiny portion of it as we did not choose to explore beyond finding a place for lunch.
Getting there was straightforward once we learned where the bus stop for the #322 was lcoated. Perhaps on weekdays that bus (and many ohters) runs more than once-per-hour but we were not in a hurry so that wasn’t a concern. The buses have all been on time which is nice. The ride was quick and perhaps a bit nerve wracking for Mom and Dad who could see us squeezing by over traffic and parked cars on the just-wide-enough roads that twist through the towns. It is obvious that the buses drivers, and surely other drivers too, are comfortable driving here and they must have good training. We were dropped off pretty much right where we needed to be though we did not realize it right away.
We found our way to the site of the temples and began our walk through history. I am not going to try and reprise the history of this place. There is plenty of information available that is going to be more convincing than my mere re-stating of facts from other places. I know what you can find out. Even a cursory reading of what is available is still impressive. The two temples were built around 3,600BCE through 3,200BCE. Though the temple building started several hudred years before these were completed and continued for centuries more. It’s thought the people who arrived here well over 4,100BCE came from Sicilily which is about 57 nautical miles (105 km) from here. I suppose on a clear day from a height of over 100 meters (higher is better) you could see the relatively flat top of Malta. Still a daunting water crossing over 6,000 years ago but it could be, and obviously was, done. When you think about that it becomes easier to imagine these intrepid people with simple stone tools deciding at some point to build neolithic structures such as we have here even though they only had use of their muscles, perhaps rounds stone balls serving as ball bearings, and I imagine basic pulleys which are pretty simple machines too though incredibly useful.
It’s too bad the roofs collapsed ages ago. I think it would be easier to imagine these structures being used for if the the roofs were still there. These were not, apparently, homes but ritual sites. What sort of events were celebrated here? I suppose we can never really know. We can see evidence of things done such as the use of fire or the marking of how things were to be built in etched stone (which feels different than graffiti of initials etched in just a couple hundred years ago). But we can’t really know. We can marvel at the dedication to biuld the temples. That is what we did.
We didn’t, and still do not, know much about the town. I am sure there are things to do here but we were not going to wander aimlessly to figure out what hidden gems might be about. We simply found our way to a bustling square and then the Coronation Bistro where we had surprisingly good pizzas for lunch. I was expecting a lighter crust, far more Neopolitan style, and a small overall pie. The pie was about the size of the dinner plate it came on and a crust any American would recongnize. Ample toppings of meat and vegetables (on mine) made for a good repast. Had we known they’d be what they were I think we would have gotten just one: we had to leave several slices on the plates.
We took an Uber, got the same driver as the day before, back to the hotel where as we arrived a cloud burst and poured a moderate amount of rain down for a little while. A lazy afternoon of doing pretty little but resting before dinner.
Photos
The first view of a temple at the Ggantija site. It’s named because people who saw the Neolithic temples millennia after they were built could not imagine anyone but giants making them. I think that shows a lack of imagination at the creativity m, capability, and determination of people from time way gone by.
--September 20, 2026 at 11:17 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
Moving closer to a temple.
--September 20, 2026 at 11:23 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
Inside one of the rooms of a temple structure.
--September 20, 2026 at 11:36 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
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