When you go to Gozo, the best place to start is in Victoria, which is also called "Rabat" by the people who live there. The city is in the middle of the island, and it seems like all roads lead to or from it. Part of the fun of visiting Victoria is getting lost in its narrow, winding streets and knowing that the Christian saints who live in niches in their corners are keeping an eye on you.

Have a look around the shops. Most of them sell traditional Maltese arts and crafts, like woolens, lace, blown glass, and cheap souvenirs. Unless you come in the morning when the flea market is going on and the square is busy, life in this town is slow. Sit in one of the many cafes and eat some local treats while taking in the atmosphere that is only found in Gozo.

Most visitors can't help but be drawn to the Citadel, the fortified old city. Walk around the city walls to see the great views, and then visit one of the museums, such as the one that has the old prisons. This city has been called the "Crown of Gozo" because it has been the island's center of activity since Neolithic times and has been fortified since the Bronze Age (1500-700BC).

Three thousand years later, Gozitans were required by law to spend the night inside the walled city to protect themselves from invaders. After that, people began to move into the area around the city and make it what it is today. Archaeological finds show that the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, and the Aragonese all lived in the old city. Later, the Knights of the Order of Saint John, Napoleon, and finally the British took over.

The British named the city Victoria, but Gozitans still call it by its old name, Rabat, which came from the Arabs.