Mediterranea festival for November

The Astra Theatre in Gozo will be organising the Mediterranea festival for the second consecutive year following the overwhelming success of its first edition.

This year's week-long festival of culture, music, tradition, natural heritage and folklore is being held between November 1-8.

The festival, which was launched recently during Air Malta's travel fair Amitex, aims to uncover some of Gozo's inimitable features in a cultural feast for the senses.

Mediterranea 2003 kicks off with one of Giuseppe Verdi's greatest operas, Otello, and comes to a fitting end with a choral and orchestral concert featuring Gozo's Laudate Pueri choir.

Both opera and concert will be under the direction of Astra's musical director, Prof. Mro Joseph Vella.

The musical element will be further enhanced by a violin and piano recital and a philharmonic band concert.

As in last year's edition, archaeology expert David Trump will return to deliver a lecture on Ggantija temples.

The festival will include a taste of typical Gozitan food in a dinner which will be complemented with traditional music and tours of Ggantija, the magnificent churches, and scenic countryside.

The Astra has teamed up with the Malta Tourism Authority and Air Malta to promote the festival across Europe and in the US to boost Gozo's image as a unique cultural destination in the Mediterranean.

www.mediterranea.com.mt