Mgarr ix-Xini, a picturesque bay in Gozo, Malta, has served as a filming location for productions like “By The Sea” (2015), starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
On summer mornings, swimming along the bay’s right side for about 200 meters leads to a cave entrance. Inside, sunlight filters through the rock, illuminating the cave with an enchanting aquamarine glow.
For a brief exploration, follow the inland path from Mgarr ix-Xini through a narrow gorge. This journey feels like stepping onto a film set, reminiscent of “The Lost World” on a smaller scale. The path winds through a bamboo forest, then transitions into a dry canyon with twists and turns between sheer white rock faces, evoking a prehistoric atmosphere.
Along the way, a derelict tower becomes visible—a narrow golden structure climbing the cliffside, approximately six to eight stories high. At its base, part of an old narrow aqueduct crosses the valley. Above the aqueduct, large square furrows are cut into the rock to channel water to the edifice. Together, they are a vestige of Victorian industrial engineering that could be stumbled across in a post-apocalyptic screenplay.
Approaching the base of the building, anyone with a ‘Just William’ curiosity akin to The Significant Other’s is instantly tousled, tempted, and terrifically determined. Turning from the path, pushing like mountain goats through brambles, one can explore the unexpected inside.
Inside, a giant concrete cave, hidden deep in the rock face and now populated by graffiti, awaits. At its center, an enormous pit, perhaps sixteen-foot square, drops another eight stories deep into the center of the earth. There are other rooms too off to the sides, and alcoves in which one can see pipework. A ramshackle spiral staircase winds up and up to the top of the tumbledown tower and also continues below, descending into gloom.
Upon discovering the building, one might wonder what it could have been. Speculation might suggest a power station, but it was actually a pumping station. For more about the pumping station, its construction, history, and why it became obsolete, see this article in The Times of Malta.
Returning to the lush green of the valley, and feeling every bit a Hobbit Adventurer, follow the path through a rocky tunnel. On one side, silver-trunked trees; on the other, richer greens beneath and blue sky, which feels like a different valley, although in reality merely trims off a small ox-bow loop of the gorge hewn by water flow long ago. From here, the path ascends to the top of the tower, offering spectacular views back along the valley to the bay that, in November, is almost deserted and perfect for a quick bracing dip.
