Many people say this area is the real heart and soul of Malta.
Zurrieq is one of the original 10 parishes of Malta, and the largest land-locked village of the area. It has little of the charm found in its neighbors, but is close to the lovely medieval church at Hal Millieri, and is en route to the Blue Grotto or to the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra.
The village is surrounded by countryside full of wild herbs and flowers and a canopy of tall palm trees.
Three kilometers from the village is the Wied iz-Zurrieq or Blue Grotto.
From the cliffs above Wied iz Zurrieq Grand Marshall Copier and a cavalry squadron shadowed the Turkish Armada of over 181 galleys on the eve of the Great Siege of 1565.
Legend has it that the Blue Grotto was home to the sirens, or sea nymphs, who serenaded sailors to their destruction with soft verse. Brightly painted boats and luzzus leave every 15 minutes, providing the sea is calm, for the natural caves and grottoes along this stretch of coast.
The Blue Grotto is one of six caves on the 25-minute trip.
View of the Blue Grotto along the Malta coastline.
This church was built in 1632. Behind the altar is "St Catherine being freed by angels" and in the nave St Andrew is depicted laboring magnificently under the weight of his cross. A triptych panel in the vestry dates back to 1604; it came from a cave chapel on the islet of Filfa, where the parish priest used to say mass for the fishermen up to the outbreak of World War II.
Outside the Church of St John the Evangelist is an old Roman olive crusher that was once used as a baptismal font. The cross in front of the church marked the center of the settlement.
Address: Zurrieq Tourist Office, Zurrieq , Malta
Tips: Open by prior appointment only. The gates to the garden and the church itself is locked, but the key can be obtained from the parish priest of Zurrieq.
This square doubles as the bus terminus. At the end of the square is the Armeria, built as an armory at the end of the 1600s. It is a plain and Classical structure that echoes a nobleman's town palazzo. The eight worn semicircular steps and the balcony hint that it may once have been something special and the twin dolphin door-knockers are traditional Maltese door furniture. The building was sold in 1784 to the Crispo family, a branch of which still owns it today. There is no admission.
In the parish priest's garden is part of a Punic tower, the only example on the island. The cornice has the tell-tale Egyptian lip. The massive bricks were laid without mortar sometime between 500 B.C. and 600 B.C. and each has a concave and convex face to ensure a perfect fit.
Tips: Entrance only by permission from the priest.
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Blue Grotto, Zurrieq
Blue Grotto, Zurrieq
