Għarb is a village located at the westernmost point of the island of Gozo, with a population of 1600 people.
Għarb is Arabic for “West”, so it should be no surprise that the village is the most westerly place on Gozo. In the centre of the village some houses have the finest examples of decorated stone balconies. It was created as a parish in 1679, a move which gave impetus for the building of a new, baroque parish church. Built between 1699 and 1729, it has an elegant façade which has been compared with Francesco Borromini’s Church of Saint Agnes in Piazza Navona, Rome.
The village square, so quintessentially Gozitan, has become the view on many a postcard. On the square is a folklore museum. Għarb is situated in what is considered Gozo’s most scenic countryside, particularly at Dbieġi, the highest hill on the Island. Dbieġi is also a centre for Gozitan crafts. Nearby is the Basilica ta’ Pinu, Malta’s pre-eminent shrine to the Virgin Mary. It was on this spot in 1883, that a local woman heard the voice of the Virgin. The parish church is dedicated to the visitation of Saint Mary to her cousin Saint Elizabeth. The late Karmni Grima and Frenċ tal-Għarb are two of its most renowned villagers.
