Żebbuġ, Gozo's hilltop village above the salt pans

Iż-Żebbuġ is one of those Gozo villages most people only glimpse from the road on their way to the salt pans or Marsalforn. It sits on a hill in the north of the island, looking out over fields and sea, and the Ministry for Gozo calls it one of the island’s more remote villages. That, to my mind, is exactly why it’s worth stopping.

Don’t confuse it with Żebbuġ on the main island, a council of 15,352 people. The NSO counted 3,781 people in Gozo’s Żebbuġ by the close of 2025, and nearly half of them, 1,792, were foreign nationals.

Olive trees and a church in local stone

Żebbuġ means olive trees in Maltese, and the Ministry for Gozo links the name to former olive groves or presses; the next village, Għasri, means olive press. The parish became independent in 1688, work on today’s church began in 1690 and it was consecrated in 1726, dedicated to the Assumption. The Ministry says that, the Cathedral apart, it’s the oldest consecrated parish church on Gozo.

What sets it apart is the stone. The high altar, choir and baptistery are carved from a deposit found in 1738 within the village limits, at is-Sagħtrija, facing the Ta’ Ġurdan lighthouse. The Ministry’s place page calls it onyx, while a 2025 article of its own calls it honey-coloured travertine that locals refer to as marble. Whatever the label, I’d go in just to see it. The central altar is the work of the Maltese sculptor Ronald Pisani.

Inside there’s also an altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception known as tal-Virtu, legend attached, and in the streets, carefully kept wayside shrines. The best known is the Madonna Omm tal-Ħniena, locally called taċ-Ċiċri.

The heritage trail

The local council and St Mary’s Philharmonic Society have mapped out the Żebbuġ Heritage Trail, which takes in Tad-Dabrani hill, Wied l-Infern, the parish priest’s house, the band club and a Second World War air-raid shelter at the entrance to the village. Within the limits you’ll also find Ta’ Kuljat, a flat-topped hill with a Bronze Age settlement, and the Punic tombs of Ta’ Tutiet.

The Riħ id-Deheb house, with a collection of 20th-century Maltese art and a natural grotto mentioned in a bishop’s pastoral visit of 1582, opens strictly by appointment.

Traditions of its own

The village feast, in honour of Our Lady, is held in August, according to the Ministry for Gozo’s 2026 calendar, which doesn’t give the exact day. There’s a Good Friday procession, and one custom that’s all Żebbuġ’s own, the għażżiela, an M-shaped pastry made as protection against lightning, a tradition of around 350 years. The village is known for lace, weaving and woollen blankets, and the Ministry says its sheep’s milk makes some of Gozo’s finest ġbejniet, the small local cheeses.

Getting there, and how I’d do it

The Ministry for Gozo suggests two routes from Victoria. One follows the road lined with aqueducts through Għasri; the other skirts behind the Citadel, drops to Wied Sara and climbs a country lane to the village square. It adds that the drive, walk or cycle up is part of the appeal, and I’d agree.

Here’s how I’d spend a half day. Head up mid-morning, wander past the shrines and round the square, and look into the church if the doors are open, then walk down towards Xwejni to reach the salt pans in the late-afternoon light. From there, Qbajjar and Marsalforn are an easy stroll along the shore, with plenty of places for dinner. You could squeeze it into a day trip from the Ċirkewwa ferry, but I’d save it for a stay of a few nights on the island.

Down to the sea

A coastal path from the back of the village drops down to the Xwejni salt pans, Qbajjar and Marsalforn. Qbajjar, with its waterfront restaurants, is part of the locality of Żebbuġ, according to the Ministry for Gozo. The village has a few places to eat, and the coast has more.

For somewhere to stay, the MTA register lists no hotels in Żebbuġ but does list 76 licensed holiday lets. If you’d rather have a hotel, the nearest are in Marsalforn, and I compare them in Gozo hotels.