Gozo and Comino

Gozo has some superb restaurants, and local bakeries turn out tasty, crusty round loaves. The island's traditional craft is lace making, practiced by a diminishing number of older women who still make time for the intricacy of this labor of love. Like their Maltese counterparts, Gozitan men love to hunt, and native and migratory birds are either caged or shot. Most of the waist-high stone structures that dot Gozo's fields are blinds, and on autumn hunting-season mornings you'll hear the sporadic pop of rifles. The island has become increasingly popular for diving, especially at Xlendi Bay. The ferry docks at Mgarr Harbour, but this part of Gozo is unrepresentative. Go elsewhere.