Nadur
Nadur, set on one of the three hills of Gozo, is one of the largest villages of the island. It is set in the Northeastern part of the island, making it one of the first villages you reach once you get off the ferry.
A walk around Nadur can give you a variety of things to see and do, including things related to nature as well as others which are related to the life of a true Gozitan. Walking of the coast of the village, there are various rocky beaches or a sandy beach – namely Daħlet Qorrot, San Blass, San Filep and Wied ir-Riħan as well as Ramla Bay, which is Gozo’s largest sandy beach. When walking from one beach to another, I enjoy stopping for a snack in a public garden where I could have a rest while enjoying the picturesque views to the village and its surroundings. There are various public gardens scattered around the village, some of which include
- Ta’ Kenuna Botanical Garden, which offers an amazing view of the whole island as well as Malta and Comino;
- Ġnien il-Kunsill, which once again offers an amazing view of Malta and Comino as well as the channel;
- Ġnien San Blas, from which one can enjoy a view of agricultural fields as well as the bay of San Blas;
- Ġnien ta’ Sopu, which is on the way to Sopu tower.
Next to Gnien ta’ Sopu, one can see the Malta Astronomical Observatory, which is the first astronomical observatory on the Maltese islands and is operated by Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta.
Walking further from the Malta Astronomical Observatory, you can find one of the two towers in Nadur – Torri Sopu, which is a watch tower which was built in 1667 by the Knights of St John and was the only watchtower which actually tried to resist the French invasion of 1798 when it fired its guns on the approaching French fleet. The other tower in Nadur is Torri Ta’ Kenuna, which was a communication tower and is surrounded by the botanical gardens, from which one can enjoy a panoramic view of Gozo, Malta and Comino.
On the opposite side of Nadur, there is Tal-Mixta Cave, which is an amazing spot to admire Ramla beach from the top. There is also a passage from which one can walk from the cave to Ramla Bay and perhaps enjoy a dip in the Mediterranean Sea.
In the center of Nadur, there is the basilica, which is dedicated to the patron saints St Peter & St Paul, which is majestically decorated in marble and paintings. This basilica is well worth a visit to admire the interior and all that there is in it. Close to the basilica, you can find all the basic necessities, including supermarkets and pharmacies as well as bars, restaurants and stationary shops which also have other essential items you might need during your holiday or to carry on walking around the village. There is also the Maritime Museum, which as the name suggests, is a collection of items related to the maritime and is worth a visit especially if the topic interests you.
Do you plan to eat whilst roaming the village? You can easily find famous bakeries in the village which offer a variety of traditional and local food and bread. You can easily make a stop to buy your food and then head to one of the amazing places described above to enjoy your freshly baked food.
Activities along the year include:
- Spontaneous carnival (held in February) – where people wear costumes and enjoy the evening with various floats
- Mnarja – the village feast in honour of the patron saints St Peter & St Paul, which is celebrated on the 29th June but daily activities start from 2 weeks prior to the date;
- San Koronatu – the village secondary feast, which is celebrated on the second week of November.
Whether you are looking for natural sightseeing, museums, historic places, churches or traditional food and activities, Nadur can offer all of these in one place all year round!