Zeitun: Culture, Crafts and Routes through the Town Centre

Zeitun combines impressive architectural history, Maltese craftsmanship and paths through a Mediterranean cultural landscape. Anyone looking for a mixture of exploring the town, tradition and excursions for their holiday will find numerous concrete starting points here for planning their trip. The choice of a holiday apartment can also be guided by whether you primarily want to discover churches and museums, experience regional craft culture or take walks towards the southern countryside.

Culture and History in the Town Centre

A prominent starting point for exploring Zeitun’s history is St. Catherine’s Parish Church. It was built between 1692 and 1720 to a design by Lorenzo Gafà. The Żejtun Parish Church Museum is located directly next to it. This makes it possible to include church architecture and a museum visit as two different cultural perspectives in your exploration, without conflating the significance of the individual sites.

The Heritage Route through the town centre of Żejtun shows the development of a typical Mediterranean community. A separate Heritage Route is also designated for Bisqallin, the lower village of Żejtun. Anyone who wants to pay closer attention to established town structures and local history during a walk can view these two named routes as different focal points. Saint Gregory’s Chapel complements the historical picture: It served Iż-Żejtun as a parish church from 1400 to 1720.

Crafts, Olives and Local Traditions

Traditional handicrafts take centre stage at the Arts & Crafts Centre in Żejtun. The centre is housed in a typical old Maltese house and provides training in this field. It therefore offers insight into a cultural practice that goes beyond simply observing architecture. At Żejt iż-Żejtun, Maltese bread spread with freshly pressed olive oil is also distributed for free tasting. The process of pressing olives into olive oil is also discussed there.

The Żejtun Olive Press and the Żejtun Roman Villa provide further insights into the region’s past. The Olive Press is a replica of a press used in Roman times, which was primarily used to separate the olive pulp from the pit. The Roman Villa includes both a residential area and a commercial-industrial area. For a trip involving different interests, this creates a varied sequence of architecture, crafts, food history and the Roman past.

Paths, Gardens and Special Dates

Anyone who wants to discover Zeitun through more than just its buildings can consider the Heritage Malta route “Towards the Sun in the South”. It leads from Żejtun towards Delimara, Xrobb l-Għaġin and Wied il-Għajn. San Girgor Garden also offers views of the surrounding agricultural landscape. These two suggestions appeal to different ideas for a day out: The route connects Zeitun with other destinations in the south, while the garden focuses the view on the landscape.

The annual cycle is also part of the local character. The Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. For Holy Week, a digital guide documents the course of the Good Friday procession. Holy Week in Żejtun also includes a planned walking route through all the churches that are open. Anyone wishing to organise their trip around religious history and local traditions can take these details into account when planning the timing.

Getting There and Choosing Accommodation

Bus routes 81 and 82 run directly from Valletta to the centre of Żejtun. This provides a specific connection between Malta’s capital and the town centre as a starting point for choosing your accommodation. A holiday apartment in Zeitun may be an interesting search option if you want to include the direct bus connection from Valletta in your travel plans and keep your daily schedule flexible.

If you would like to compare other places for your travel plans, you can find St. Julians, Bugibba, Żurrieq, Gzira, Ta' Xbiex, Gozo, Attard and Marsa here.

For the overarching travel overview: Malta.