Hidden inside the high cliffs, overlooking the breathtakingly red sands of Ramla l-Ħamra beach, lies what is known as Calypso’s Cave, the cave purportedly referred to in Homer’s ‘Odyssey’.
Gozo, according to the myth, was Homer’s isle of Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso held the Greek hero Odysseus as her “prisoner of love” for seven years, promising him immortality, after being blown on the shore and losing his ship. Eventually she allows him to leave and he returns back home to his wife. However, Calypso was still in love with him, and legend has it she’s still waiting for him on her island.
It is presumed that the cave contains a complex labyrinth extending all the way down to sea level in some areas but due to geological movement the cave is inaccessible to the public. However the magnificent views over Ramla l-Ħamra and the valley make it worth the visit. On the shore, below the cave, one can also observe ruins of a fortification built by the Knights of Malta in the 18th century to serve as defence against sea-ward attacks.
