You will need to climb a little bit. Be CAREFUL!
This is back side doors to Gozo Citadel. Do visit it. Through them, you will enter the Citadel's park, You can go left to enter Citadel. Or you can go into a stairs 'tunnel'.
About Citadel:
The Cittadella (Maltese: Ic-Cittadella), also known as the Castello (Maltese: Il-Kastell), is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo.
Very close by are several fascinating small museums and a state of the art Visitors’ Centre: The Cathedral Museum, the Museum of Archaeology, the Folklore Museum, the Gozo Nature Museum, the Old Prison, the Old Gunpowder Magazine, the Grain Silos, the Battery and the World War II Shelter.
They are free on some days of the year as August 15th.
Only a couple of families live within the Citadel walls today. In the square, you will find the magnificent baroque Cathedral of Gozo dedicated to Santa Marija, or more precisely the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; as well as the Law Courts and the Bishop’s Palace.
Handicap people: The Cittadella is a fortified city built on top of a hill and therefore it was intended to be an inaccessible place. The Cittadella Restoration Project has addressed this problem and has increased accessibility within the physical constraints of the site. A number of lifts have been installed around the site which provides access to most parts of Cittadella including the Visitors’ Centre, Ditch and main entrance area. However, given the physical conditions of the site, most have a steep gradient and wheelchair users will need assistance to roam around.
Geocache is not suitable for wheelchair users.
QUICK History:
Gozo was a privileged Roman Municipality, independent of Malta and the Citadel was the centre of its administrative as well as its military and religious life, an important temple to the goddess Juno stood where the Cathedral now stands. The north side of the Citadel dates back to the period of the Aragonese, while the south flank, overlooking Ir-Rabat (Victoria), was re-constructed under the Knights of St. John between 1599 and 1603. This rebuilding came towards the end of Gozo’s darkest period, when for two centuries, marauding Turks and Berber corsairs had harassed and pillaged the Maltese Islands. For this reason, until 1637, the entire population of Gozo was required by law to spend the night within the Citadel for their own safety. The climax of the Turkish raids on Gozo came in 1551. A strong Ottoman naval force, after an unsuccessful attack on Malta, turned its attention to the less well protected Gozo. After a short siege the crumbling medieval walls of the Citadel were overwhelmed and the defenders begged for an honourable capitulation. Tragically for the population, (then numbering around 5000), the surrender terms were far from honourable. With the exception of just 40 elderly and disabled citizens, the entire population of Gozo was chained and taken into slavery. It took nearly 50 years to re-populate the island and rebuild the Citadel in its present layout.
Please write in English (or translate it) so everyone can understand.