Wooden sails
A round tower rising above the village.
Emvin Mifsud — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ormelune — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ethan Doyle White — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Spooky — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ethan Doyle White — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ta' Kola Windmill is a stone windmill in the village of Xagħra on Gozo, its round tower and wooden sails rising above the rooftops. Today it is a small museum taking you back to the life of a miller and the island's traditional crafts. It was built in 1725 by the Fondazione Vilhena of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, then rebuilt in the 1780s, and it became a museum in 1992. Like many Maltese windmills, it has a round central tower surrounded by a number of rooms, and its sails, milling machinery and miller's living quarters have been restored. You enter by a door flanked by two large millstones, then climb a narrow spiral stair to the wooden mechanism and pulleys above. The rooms hold a large collection of tools for wood and iron work, along with the miller's home furnishings. From outside the tower stands out above its stone base, especially in spring when purple bougainvillea surrounds it. The windmill lies about 300 m from the Ġgantija Temples and 2.5 km from Victoria in a straight line, so the two combine easily on a shared ticket. The stairs are narrow and steep, so they may not suit every visitor. Check opening times, which vary with the season, especially on holidays.
A round tower rising above the village.
Two big stones at the entrance.
Pulleys and timber at the top of the stair.
Marija Bambina Street, Xagħra, Gozo, Malta
Yes, it is about 300 m away, and a combined ticket exists.
The spiral stair is narrow and steep and may not suit every visitor.
