Fontana

Fontana: A village of fresh water springs

Il-Fontana is a small village in Gozo with a population of around 900 people. It is located mid-way between the capital city Victoria and the popular Xlendi bay, close to a spring from which it takes its name; (Fontana is the Italian equivalent for a spring). It was indeed the continuous freshwater supply of this spring that attracted people to the area.

The earliest settlers of Fontana were mainly farmers and hunters, but there were also a few fishermen that used the nearby Xlendi bay, which was completely pristine until the 19th century. It was the fishermen who set aside profits to built the parish church in the late 19th century. The church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, was established as a parish on the 37th March, 1911. The town celebrates the festa annually around the 2nd week of June.

On the lower part of Fontana, on the right-hand side of the road that leads to Xlendi, you cannot miss the greenery of Lunzjata Valley going all the way up to Kercem.  Local farmers keep themselves busy around all year long in this fertile part of Gozo.

In the 16th century, arched shelters were built over the springs to ease the life of the people who used the spring to wash their clothes. An irrigation system that consisted of stone gutters carried water all the way up from the springs in the valley. This washhouse, or Ghajn tal-Hasselin as it is known in Maltese, is still operating today, and you can still see locals doing their laundry there from time to time.

Fontana: Things to see

Water springs and a 16th Century washhouse dominating the main road of the village.

The parish church:  The Fontana Parish Church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.