Gozo the Island of Hills

Gozo The Island of Hills

Geoffrey G Attard Gozo the Island of Hills is the name of the latest publication by Gozitan photographer Anthony Grech, a publication which, besides being a coffee-table book, will help the reader or the visitor to Gozo to go around the island and become familiar with every nook and cranny of Gozo.

The hills and hillocks of Gozo may be known to many-aGozitan; however it cannot be taken for granted that all the in- habitants of Gozo are able to distinguish between one and the other. Some Gozitans would not even be able to identify the hills according to their names. InNuffara, Ta’ Għammar, Ta’ Ġordan, Ta’ Gelmus and id-Dabrani are perhaps the most renowned hills of Gozo; the names of some others are not familiar at all with the average Gozitan. It would be a different story in the case of of the professional hiker of cyclist; he or she would make it a point to know the name of every hill and valley in order to be able to plan his journey. Perhaps I can say the same for Mr Anthony Grech who for the past few years have been going around Gozo and identfying each and every hill and hillock to be able to take photographs and then publish them in book- form. Gozo may be small, considering that it is only 14 kilometres long and 7 kilometres wide. Still, it was quite an endevour for our young photographer to visit all the places he has managed to photograph and therefore immortalize in perpetuity.

The book is not merely a collection of sumptuous photographs. At the beginning of every chapter, the reader – keen to know more about the toponomy of Gozo – will find a historical context of the places photographed. From Xagħra, Nadur and Żebbuġ and the Citadel, most probably being the main inhabited hills of the island, to the tiniest ħotba or small hillock, Gozo is certainly a magical place to visit, the ‘other extra mile’ worth visiting, as the familiar advertis- ment goes. One has only to leave his private car in a safe cranny and prepare himself for a walk amid the green pastures of the island on order to fall in love with the island and enjoy the clean, spring breeze carrying the scent of Gozo’s wild flowers and plants. As to those who are interested in buying a copy of the soft-bound Gozo The Island of Hills, they can do so by contacting the photographer on grech.anthony@gmail.com. I can also assure them that they will not be disappointed.