Introduction [A focus on Gozo]

Abstract

It is arguable whether one may speak of a specifically "Gozitan" culture but there is no doubt that Gozo possesses a soul, a character which is distinctly perceptible and intrinsically its own. It is a character rooted in its physical features, its geographical location and insularity, and abides in the island's geology, natural territorial features and vegetation. It is a cultural character which has drawn from the almost constant presence of man on the island for almost 7000 years. It therefore has had a varied ethnic input which started as far back as the dawn of Mediterranean civilization, and which it now exudes. Gozo's central position in the Mediterranean placed it at the crossroads of many civilizations and this determined the wide cross-fertilization of its culture.