Walking Up to the Laferla Cross
I cannot believe that another week has passed again… How time flies! I have to say that the last few weeks have been pretty hectic. Going out every weekend, even couple of times, collecting enough material for the upcoming blogs and social media posts. Ufff.
However, I have to admit, as busy as it is, this is what I love to do. Go out and about, reconnect with nature, discover something new and every week summarize my adventure in a nice photo blog that I hope you guys benefit from and get that much needed sense of accomplishment! So I did it again. Another week, another adventure! 🙂
This time I have decided to explore the south part of the island and I drove all the way to Siggiewi. Quite a drive if you live up north just like me. And where did I go? I visited the Laferla Cross, which can be found on top of the Gholja tas-Salib hill. I parked my car, just next to this corner house and I walked uphill from here (this exact location is shared at the very end of this blog).
There is pretty nice pathway towards the Laferla Cross, just alongside the Girgenti vineyards. It’s not a very long walk, however the second half is quite steep. I think it took me about 15 mins to walk all the way to the top.
The Laferla Cross is quite a popular tourist attraction. It is closely linked to Catholic cultural traditions and constitutes a yearly meeting point for Maltese pilgrims during the night of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. At that time, the steep hill leading to the Laferla Cross is illuminated with torches and candlelight forming a pathway starting from the statues of Jesus symbolizing his final hours before crucifixion.
Above you can see the final part of the pathway leading to the Laferla Cross that was restored in 2014 as part of the EU’s Rural Development Programme.
The original Laferla Cross was built under the supervision of Ganni Mercieca in 1903 and named after Paul Laferla, who proposed the construction at the first place. The cross was restored on numerous occasions and replaces with the exact replica in 1963 made of bronze and iron. The iron cross is 16 metres high standing on a huge limestone pedestal.
When walking around the Laferla Cross, you will find out that there is a small chapel hidden in the huge limestone pedestal. This shire is open during Easter time so all the pilgrims can walk in and say their prayers.
This is one of the highest viewpoints in Malta. You are approximately 200 meters above the sea level. You have to admit, that the views from the Laferla Cross are pretty amazing.
And this is it. One last view of the beautiful Laferla Cross. Below you can see the exact location where I left the car and walked up the hill towards this famous landmark. Hope you liked this blog, learnt something new and added another site to your list of places to visit. 🙂
Note: When I visited this site in September 2017, there was a barrier limiting the access to the Laferla Cross because of the poor state of the Annunciation Chapel. However people still passed it to have a closer look at the Laferla Cross, but just so you are aware that there are some safety restrictions.
