Fodor's Expert Review Cittadella and Visitor's Center

The original city here is the hilltop Cittadella, which was built by the Knights of the Order of St. John at the turn of the 17th century, after 200 years of attacks by marauding Turks and Berber corsairs. In one raid in 1551, some 6,000 Gozitans (most of the island's population) were abducted into slavery. At night, the villagers on the island could sleep behind the citadel's walls, knowing they were safe. These days barely a handful of people still live here, but its steep, winding streets yield great views from its ramparts. As you enter you'll see the Cathedral of the Assumption to the right; its dome collapsed in an infamous earthquake in 1693 and the event is marked by an excellent trompe l'oeil painting on its interior (€3.50). Several small museums in the Citadella offer displays relating to the history of the settlement that developed within; the pick of these is the recently opened Visitor's Center, which is situated in two disused cisterns and has a fine audio-visual presentation.