Beautifying Xagħra Square

Next Wednesday will see the launch of the refurbishment that has improved the appearance of Xagħra Square and the main street leading to it.

Dr Refalo is Minister for Gozo

The people who live in Xaghra and those who have a business in the surrounding area have been patient as the work created problems in their daily life. However, now the that work is nearing completion they can feel proud of the way the square has been revamped and improved in appearance.

Much work was carried out not only on the square itself, but also to the parvis and the main street, 8th September Avenue. In fact the project was a holistic one and as some new discoveries were made, this meant going back to the drawing board. The main aim of this project was to improve the infrastructure in the centre of this popular town, Xagħra – one of the busiest on the island since it has eight restaurants, two banks, one petrol station and a parochial office. Xagħra charms many tourists not only because it has a significant amount of attractions – Ggantija, Calypso’s Cave, Ninu’s Grotto with its stalagmites and stalactites, and Kola’s windmill. It is surrounded by breath-aking views, leads to the most popular beach, Ramla Bay and is quite a lively square at all times of the day and night. Therefore, one of the aims of this embellishment project was to improve the touristic product in this town, but first and foremost to give a more beautiful square to the people of Xagħra.

The main street, 8th September Avenue, leading to the town square, was reconstructed and included changing the place of W&E services. The square itself was laid with Porfido tiles and finished off with terracotta coloured asphalt to complement the surroundings of the square itself. Furthermore, the façades of the buildings in the square became more prominent and evident since the cables marring their full appearance were removed and relocated in a new culvert built specifically for them.

For some time, the church parvis had been in dire need of restoration. First the old electricity system was removed. The two statues at the entrance to the parvis were also removed and sent for restoration as nature had taken its toll on