Gozo Album

Gozo Album Our mission is to preserve and showcase Gozo's history and beauty through photographs. Dive into the past as we share images that tell the story of our island.

We aim to create a visual archive highlighting Gozo's heritage, milestones, and landscapes.

1960s photo taken at Ramla Bay by Guido Stilon. View more old photos of Gozo on www.gozoalbum.gov.mt 👈
06/09/2026

1960s photo taken at Ramla Bay by Guido Stilon.

View more old photos of Gozo on www.gozoalbum.gov.mt 👈

The Cittadella photographed from a rather unusual angle, circa 1950s.Beyond the terraced fields and rubble walls that th...
05/09/2026

The Cittadella photographed from a rather unusual angle, circa 1950s.

Beyond the terraced fields and rubble walls that then surrounded much of Victoria, the old fortified city rises prominently above the landscape.

Another gem from Set Uno Karlsson’s collection, captured in Marsalforn in 1971.The photograph shows a woman sitting outs...
04/09/2026

Another gem from Set Uno Karlsson’s collection, captured in Marsalforn in 1971.

The photograph shows a woman sitting outside her doorway working il-bizzilla, the traditional craft of lace-making that was once a much more common sight in everyday life around Gozo.

Do you know who the lady in this photograph is?

On the day Għajnsielem celebrates the feast of its patron, Our Lady of Loreto, we are sharing this photograph taken from...
30/08/2026

On the day Għajnsielem celebrates the feast of its patron, Our Lady of Loreto, we are sharing this photograph taken from the area of Fort Chambray around the late 1970s, showing the village and its parish church.

The church was nearing the end of a long period of construction which had begun in the 1920s. In this photograph, its distinctive bell tower appears to have only recently been completed. The church itself was blessed in August 1978, while the bell tower, the final major part of the building, was completed and blessed the following year, in 1979.

The photograph also offers an interesting view of Għajnsielem at the time, with considerably more open land surrounding the church than we see today.

It’s Friday of the week in which Għajnsielem celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, and that means it is time for t...
28/08/2026

It’s Friday of the week in which Għajnsielem celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, and that means it is time for the now-famous march known locally as tal-Balzunetta.

If you are not familiar with this Għajnsielem tradition, you might wonder why the people in these old photographs are wearing colourful outfits made from the same fabric.

The tradition dates back to the 1980s, when a small group of revellers turned up for the march dressed in outfits made from the same material. The idea caught on and, over the years, became one of the most recognisable traditions of the Għajnsielem feast.

Today, a different patterned fabric is chosen each year and distributed within the community, with people using it to create outfits in all sorts of different styles. The tradition brings together people of all ages for the Friday night march, which makes its way from Mġarr Road towards the village square.

Some of the people pictured in these photographs were among the pioneers who helped start this tradition more than four decades ago.

Do you recognise anyone in these photos? And do you have any old photographs from tal-Balzunetta that you would like to share with us?

Life in Independence Square, Victoria, in 1971, as captured by Set Uno Karlsson.In front of the iconic Bellusa Bar, hors...
26/08/2026

Life in Independence Square, Victoria, in 1971, as captured by Set Uno Karlsson.

In front of the iconic Bellusa Bar, horse-drawn carts stand among stacks of wooden soft-drink crates, capturing a typical scene of everyday activity in the heart of Victoria more than half a century ago.

On the day Żebbuġ celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, we are sharing this photograph, believed to have b...
23/08/2026

On the day Żebbuġ celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, we are sharing this photograph, believed to have been taken around a century ago, showing a horse-drawn carriage making its way towards the village along Triq il-Knisja.

The photograph also captures a very different landscape from the one we know today, with farmers working the surrounding fields and Żebbuġ Parish Church overlooking the area in the background. The village has been a parish since 1688, while the church seen here dates back to the early 18th century and is dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady.

We do not have much information about this photograph, including the identity of the photographer or its exact date.

Perhaps you can help us learn more. Do you know anything about this photograph, the people in it, or when it might have been taken?

Another photograph by Set Uno Karlsson, taken in Marsalforn Bay around 1971, showing a woman making traditional Gozitan ...
20/08/2026

Another photograph by Set Uno Karlsson, taken in Marsalforn Bay around 1971, showing a woman making traditional Gozitan lace by the waterfront.

There was a time when seeing women making lace outside their homes or in public places was a familiar sight in Gozo. Nowadays, it is something we come across much less often.

Lace-making, known locally as il-bizzilla, has a long history in the Maltese Islands. Pillow lace is believed to have been introduced here during the time of the Knights of St John, when lace was particularly sought after by the Knights, the Church and the Maltese aristocracy. The craft declined during the French occupation but was revived in the early 19th century.

In Gozo, lace-making became particularly popular during the 1840s. Marjanna Attard and her sister Ginisja were among those who helped spread the craft, teaching other local women who could then earn additional income for their families. By the mid-19th century, Gozitan lace had already gained recognition beyond the islands, and in 1862 Gozo Lace won first place in its category at an International Exhibition in London.

Traditional Gozitan lace is a form of bobbin lace, made using silk or linen thread worked with wooden bobbins on a tall, upright pillow known as a trajbu.

Perhaps some of our followers can help us put a name to the face in this photograph. Do you know who this lady is?

We have just received this never-before-seen photograph from the private collection of Jonathan Cefai, showing the start...
15/08/2026

We have just received this never-before-seen photograph from the private collection of Jonathan Cefai, showing the start of the Santa Marija procession from the Gozo Cathedral on 15 August 1957.

One particularly interesting detail is the pedestal carrying the statue. The silver pedestal associated with the statue today had not yet been introduced. In the late 1950s, the Gozo Cathedral Chapter launched an open competition for Maltese artists to design a new pedestal for the titular statue of the Assumption. The submitted designs were taken to Rome, where they were judged by a Vatican Sacred Art Jury. Samuel Bugeja’s design was selected, and he subsequently sculpted the model in clay before it was cast in silver and inaugurated a few years later.

Another detail visible in the photograph is the pair of statues flanking the Cathedral entrance, works by the celebrated Maltese sculptor Vincenzo Cremona. Although they no longer form part of the decorations used for the festa today, this photograph preserves a view of how Cathedral Square was decorated for Santa Marija at the time.

The date is 15 August 1956. In this photograph, the statue of Santa Marija is seen being carried down It-Telgħa tal-Belt...
15/08/2026

The date is 15 August 1956. In this photograph, the statue of Santa Marija is seen being carried down It-Telgħa tal-Belt during the festa procession in Victoria.

This was the first Santa Marija procession held after the statue had officially become part of the Gozo Cathedral earlier that same year. On 29 April 1956, the statue was donated to the Cathedral Chapter by the Leone Philharmonic Society and taken in procession to the Cathedral, where it has remained ever since.

The statue itself dates to 1897 and was made in Rome at the Fabbrica di Statue Religiose of Francesco Rosa. It had been acquired by the Leone Philharmonic Society and arrived in Gozo in July of that year, before being blessed on 13 August at the parvis of St James Church, at It-Tokk.

For many years before its transfer to the Cathedral, the statue was already part of the August celebrations in Victoria. Since 1956, it has served as the Cathedral’s processional statue of Santa Marija, carried shoulder-high through the streets on 15 August each year, as it will be once again this evening.

Photo courtesy of John Meilak.

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