I have always been enchanted by Gozo. When we were still children, my sister and I spent many summers in Marsalforn with my parents and grandfather. I have faint recollections of the place we used to stay in, now replaced by a horrid block of flats, as well as the many summer nights in the company of so many of my parents’ and grandfather’s relatives and friends, many of whom Gozitan and, of course, their children.

It’s a pity that, after so many years, I have lost all contact with the latter though I’m happy to see that my parents have kept strong the friendships my mother, in particular, had forged in Marsalforn when she was herself a child.

I loved the ferry crossing from Marfa and still recall not being able to understand why at some point in time we had to start driving to Ċirkewwa instead. The grey buses at Mġarr were a familiar sign that immediately made me feel welcome and instilled in me that sense of holiday and adventure.

Our house in Marsalforn consisted of a few rooms though, I admit, we did not spend a lot of time indoors. It was the sea and the beach during the day and, in the evening, il-Menqa with all those fascinating colourful boats.

Those were the days when I always wished that summer would never end.

For some reason, our summer vacations in Gozo became less frequent though our parents did make it a point to take us there from time to time.

One occasion was when my father was directing Bugħawwieġ at the Astra Theatre. It must have been pre-1972 because the prices on the poster that hangs in my parents’ apartment in Gozo gives the prices of the tickets as 5/- and 3/6. The highlight of this trip was our stay at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, in Victoria, another symbol associated with my childhood that is now gone forever.

When one looks at what we have done to many parts of Malta, Gozo remains relatively unspoiled

Looking back with nostalgia does not mean that I long for Gozo to remain the same as it was almost half a century ago. There were hardly any restaurants at all then and, moreover, we used to dread having to catch the last ferry to Malta at about 5 pm even in the peak of summer.

But there was and still is something of a quaint character that keeps me looking forward to the next time I catch my first glimpse of that familiar scene of the Lourdes chapel and the Għajnsielem church as they greet you when you sail into Mġarr harbour on one of the Gozo Channel ferries.

When one looks at what we have done to many parts of Malta, Gozo remains relatively unspoiled. Although it too bears the scars of what some opt to call ‘development’, this is still contained.

Marsalforn and Xlendi have, unfortunately, both suffered a fate similar to that of Sliema. However, many of the villages retain their charm and character.

EU funds are contributing towards restoration and conservation projects in the village cores that should make such sites the envy of localities on the larger island of the archipelago.

Gozo allows you to rediscover the sheer pleasure of being in a piazza and partaking of the daily life of the local community.

If I could offer a couple of suggestions, firstly I would really love to see these piazzas and open spaces returned to the public. So much effort and so many funds are invested in the rehabilitation of the squares, only to see them end up as parking zones. I hope that, for instance, once works are completed in Xagħra, the square is designated a parking free zone because, at the moment, it’s all dust and fumes.

I could see so many squares in Gozo becoming open spaces, like St George’s Square, in Valletta. To mention a couple, St Francis Square in Victoria and the open space in front of the parish square at Ta’ Sannat.

Another suggestion would be to somehow make all those unsightly overhead cables disappear. With all the works taking place, would it have been so difficult to pass electricity and other cables underground, at least in the village cores?

This is something I quite cannot understand about this country. We spend literally millions to rehabilitate Valletta and other important localities only to have wires hanging along all the length of Republic Street for pavaljuni to be affixed to them for three days, three times a year for the feasts celebrated in our capital city.

Need I mention the fact that you are not even informed about street decorations being affixed to your building, let alone your consent sought?

While on the subject of feast decorations and paraphernalia, I was amazed how in our road in Żejtun two poles erected to attach a cable to which a pavaljun is hung for the feast have become permanent fixtures. Indeed, when the pavement was reconstructed, the poles were sunk into the new concrete layer.

But I’m digressing too much although it does also link with what I tried to describe in my commentary a fortnight ago about settling for mediocrity.

Back across the channel, to me Gozo still retains a lot of the charm and character that makes me want to go there as often as I can.

Although I understand the concerns of many of my Gozitan friends about the disadvantages of preserving Gozo as a kind of crib as well as the problems resulting from their double insularity, the island has other features that compensate.

I’m sure that the connectivity problem can be better addressed with an adequate ferry service that includes fast links between Mġarr and the Sliema ferries, Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour. This would also avoid risking rendering Gozo an extension of Mellieħa.

I also feel that this ‘them and us’ mentality is more fiction than fact. It’s part of a petty rivalry mentality that we love to indulge in on so many other issues. At the end of the day I feel that Gozo belongs to me too. If I can manage to feel European, is it so far-fetched to be able to consider myself Gozitan too? But maybe that’s because I somehow find no problem whatsoever with managing to adapt and feel at home wherever I find myself, though I’m sure many people can also do so just as well if not better.

I have just returned from Gozo, having spent a week there that included the Santa Maria holiday. I enjoyed every moment including, for instance, watching the sunset at Dwejra. Many people would pay a lot of money to get to see such a spectacle.

However, let’s not take anything for granted. I do understand the frustration expressed by Gozitans who have to put up with the excessive noise and the mess that some Maltese visitors make and leave behind. I too had to put up with it during my short stay. However, these people would behave in the same manner even had they been to Nice.

Gozo is our national treasure.

Let’s keep it so.