Malta - Cittadella (Victoria - Gozo)

"The Cittadella is in the centre of Gozo, Malta's sister island. The small fortified town is situated on a promontory sited over the town of Victoria (also known as Rabat). This vantage point was obviously chosen because it was a naturally fortified hill which dominated the surrounding countryside and provided visual control of the coastal areas. The geological and geomorphological characteristics were ideal to support ancient settlements and provide a foundation for town development. The Cittadella was referred to as Gaulcouis Civitas (possible after the Roman settlement) before the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St. John. The archaeological record of the Cittadella Fortifications indicates that this naturally defended hilltop hosted a small urban or proto-urban settlement at least as early as the Bronze Age. Given its central location within Gozo, this settlement grew to become the administrative center of the island in Phoenician and Roman times. In classical times the hill top appears to have housed some form of monumental public building or temple. However the town is known to have grown in size well beyond the original hill-top setting to spread onto the underlying plain. In the Middle Ages, the area's human settlement appears to have been restricted back to the hill-top, although a suburb appears to have continued functioning at its base. The Medieval township at the Cittadella is documented to have thrived up to the 16th Century, and included a densely packed urban settlement. Most of the Medieval heritage at Cittadella survives today only as archaeological deposits, although survival of medieval buildings up to two metres in height is not uncommon..."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List The Citadel of Gozo, Malta. Thanks to Nathalie.