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Ghajnsielem sits at the southern tip of Gozo, the smaller and quieter of Malta's two main inhabited islands, and it holds a particular significance that its modest size belies. This is where the Mgarr ferry terminal connects Gozo to Malta, making it the first place most visitors set foot on Gozitan soil. The crossing itself takes around twenty-five minutes, and the view of Mgarr harbour as the boat approaches, with its cluster of fishing vessels and the pink-domed Church of Our Lady of Lourdes rising above the hillside, sets the tone for what Gozo tends to offer: a pace and a texture noticeably different from the Maltese mainland.

Gozo has long attracted visitors who find the capital Valletta and the resort towns of Malta's northern coast a little too well-worn. The island is smaller, more agricultural, and built from the same honey-coloured limestone that defines the entire archipelago, though here it feels less polished. Ghajnsielem itself is a quiet residential village, but its position makes it the natural gateway to everything the island and its surrounding waters are known for. Fort Chambray, a substantial eighteenth-century fortification built by the Knights of St John, stands just outside the village and is one of the more overlooked pieces of Maltese military architecture in the archipelago.