Gran Castello Historic House

The left wing of the complex is currently closed off until further notice.

Set foot into a time warp hurling you three centuries back, just by walking into the Gran Castello Historic House, nestled inside the impenetrable walls of the Citadel in Victoria, Gozo.

This is a cluster of interconnected houses in Bernardo De Opuo Street. While still hosting a range of exhibits illustrating the local domestic, rural and traditional ways of life, this site is gradually being transformed to reflect a domestic atmosphere and way of life typical of an 18th-century urban environment.

The architectural features of the interlinked houses betray Sicilian and Catalan influences and show familiarity with a sophisticated Late Gothic style. Their fine quality implies that these properties may have belonged to wealthy families. In 1983, the houses were rehabilitated as a museum.

The ground floor and mezzanine levels of the southern house feature a reconstructed historic house set-up complete with work and habitation spaces for the serving personnel. The ground floor spaces in the central house are devoted largely to rural trades and skills, mainly agriculture. A spectacular beast-driven mill occupies the centre of a large mill-room on the same floor.

Once the living quarters of the resident wealthy families, the first floor hosts some interesting examples of period furniture besides other items related to important local domestic crafts, such as weaving. Typical tools employed in the weaving process, like the cotton gin and the spinning wheel, form part of the display.

The Gran Castello Historic House offers an additional experience to the visitor through an audio-visual presentation about the Late Medieval set-up of the same house cluster within its contemporary urban context.  Visitors are encouraged to relax in the garden at the end of the visitor experience.

FACILITIES AVAILABLE ON SITE

Indoor / Outdoor Seating Area