“No progress has been made to remove these stones,” said Borg.

A wall close to this one was damaged by construction five years ago – prompting then mayor of Victoria, Samuel Azzopardi, to refer to the damage as a “disgrace”.

The cause of this newest pile of rubble was not irresponsible construction or negligence – but a winter storm which damaged structures across Malta and Gozo.

Still, the failure to have the Ċittadella’s secondary entrance cleared up is reminiscent of a damaged wall in the north of Malta, and the burnt-husk of what was once a BMW in Marsaskala – which also have yet to be cleared.

The Old Citadel has been a cultural centre in Gozo since Neolithic times. It was fortified during the Bronze Age, and further developed by the Phoenicians and Romans.

Much later, it was re-constructed under the Knights of St. John in the early 16th century, having served as a stronghold for the island’s residents – who were under siege by a powerful Ottoman naval force bent on enslaving the Gozo’s population.

The Ċittadella has been registered by Malta on a Tentative List of Unesco World Heritage Sites since 1998.

Late last year, a restoration project for the site was given a stamp of approval by the European public when the Ċittadella was declared winner of the 15th Anniversary RegioStars Awards.

Given this long historical context – and the recent prize awarded for a successful restoration – clearing up this damage should be of high importance to Malta’s cultural authorities.

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