Lunzjata Valley is one of Gozo's few sites with a permanent freshwater spring. A chapel from 1347 and a fountain from 1698 testify to centuries of significance.
Lunzjata Valley (Il-Wied tal-Lunzjata) is an agricultural valley between Fontana and Kercem, southwest of Victoria. On dry, rocky Gozo it is exceptional because it has a permanent freshwater spring flowing year-round. This water has irrigated the valley's farmland for centuries through a network of ditches and channels.
The chapel in the valley dates to at least 1347, when records say it was founded by Dona Sibila of Aragon. Administration passed through the Aragonese and Sicilian nobility before the Knights of Malta took it over in 1530. In 1698, Ercole Martino Testaferrata, on the orders of Grand Master Perellos, built a monumental fountain over the natural spring.
The valley is protected under the Natura 2000 network. Local farmers still cultivate vegetables and fruit here, just as they have for centuries. Carob trees, reeds, olive trees, and other Mediterranean valley species flourish.
Practical tip: The valley is ideal for a quiet walk away from tourist routes. Access is easiest from Fontana (5 minutes from Victoria centre). Bring a camera: the green valley against the dry Gozo cliffs is beautiful in every season.
What is unique about Lunzjata Valley?
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Walk through in spring morning — the birdsong is remarkable. Also a beautiful picnic spot with shade.
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Fontana — a village named after its natural spring, with a 17th-century Knights' aqueduct and a public laundry that still works today. A living monument on Gozo's main road.
A treasury of Gozitan specialties: cheese, lace, nougat, capers. Free cheese tasting. Squire Bartek wanted to move in.
Gozo's only natural freshwater spring feeds a Knight's washhouse from 1373 — still used by locals today. Perhaps the oldest continuously operating laundry in Europe, on the historic road from Victoria to Xlendi.