Sannat, the southern village on the edge of Gozo

Sannat makes more sense from its outskirts than from its square. The interesting part begins where the houses end, on a scrubby plateau that drops away suddenly into the sea. If you like walking, it’s one of the places on Gozo where I’d happily spend a whole day.

A southern village, a parish since 1688

Ta’ Sannat, to give it its full name, sits in the south of the island, just south of Victoria. The NSO counted 2,271 residents at the end of 2025. The Ministry for Gozo thinks the name comes from an Arab-Greek family who moved over from Sicily, and notes that this was one of the first villages on Gozo to get its own parish, split off from Victoria in 1688.

Today’s church, dedicated to St Margaret the Martyr, was begun in 1718 on the site of a smaller one. It was consecrated in 1755 and, after structural changes in the 1860s, again in 1868. The thing I’d look for inside is the altarpiece by Stefano Erardi, whom the Ministry describes as a well-known local artist. The parish has been an archpriestly one since 1893.

The Ta’ Ċenċ plateau, just beyond the houses

The reason Sannat is known off the island is the Ta’ Ċenċ plateau. It’s classic Maltese garigue, low aromatic scrub over bare rock, and it ends at the Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs, which the Ministry calls the highest on Gozo without giving a figure. The EU protects the area twice under Natura 2000, as a bird protection area and as a site of community importance, covering 152 and 140 hectares.

What I like is that it’s not only scenery. Scant remains of the L-Imramma temple survive up here, along with three dolmens, slabs of limestone resting on upright blocks. There’s no visitor centre and no ticket office, so go in proper shoes, carry water and remember you’re walking on protected land.

How do you get from Sannat down to the sea?

Through the Ħanżira valley. It’s a ravine with sheer rocky sides that separates Sannat from Xewkija, and the Ministry points out that it shows hardly any human interference for exactly that reason. The plateau gives you good views over it, and at the bottom lies the cove at Mġarr ix-Xini, one of the best spots on Gozo for a swim or a dive.

I’d do the full loop on a spring or autumn day. Ta’ Ċenċ and the dolmens in the morning, the walk down towards the cove around midday, and a swim before an unhurried return. In high summer I’d cut the plateau section short, because there’s no shade at all.

The festa, and where to stay

St Margaret’s feast fell on 26 July in the Ministry for Gozo’s 2026 calendar, and 2027 dates haven’t been announced. Like every Gozo festa it runs over roughly three days, with bands, street decorations and fireworks. The Ministry explains that villages honouring a martyr dress in red and those celebrating the Virgin in blue, so expect red everywhere for St Margaret.

For a bed, Sannat has two hotels on the MTA register. One is the Ta’ Cenc Hotel, five-star with 83 rooms and one of only two five-star properties on Gozo. The Ministry also names Sannat among the villages with small hotels a stone’s throw from the square, and there are farmhouses to let around the village. My guide to hotels in Gozo weighs up each area if you’re still deciding.

Why Sannat works as a base for the south

What I value most about Sannat as a place to stay is the quiet with everything close by. Victoria, the road down to Xlendi and the Xewkija Rotunda are all a few minutes away, and in the evening the village goes back to being a village. The Ministry for Gozo notes that almost all of the island’s rental farmhouses are in traditional villages like this one, most of them with their own pool.

One thing to budget for is Malta’s eco-contribution, in force since 1 July 2026, which adds €1.50 a night for each adult up to a ceiling of €22.50. It’s small, but it comes on top of the room rate, so it’s worth knowing about before you check in.