Marsalforn
Marsalforn is a village on the north east coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. The village lies between the hill-top towns of Xagħra and Żebbuġ. The village forms part of the locality of Żebbuġ. Marsalforn is the most popular tourist resort on Gozo. It is well served with hotels, restaurants, bars, and beaches. There is only a small sandy beach in Marsalforn, however, along the rocky coastline there are a number of interesting swimming spots.
Name
Marsalforn is a composite word. "Marsa" is an Arabic word meaning `port` or `bay.` There is disagreement on the origin of the second part of the word - `forn` -. Forn means "a bakery" in Maltese, but it is highly improbable that this has anything to do with Marsalforn, for it is unlikely that a bakery would be built in an area with a small population. It is quite likely that this name, like that of other Gozitan ports, might refer to a type of ship. In that case it would derive from Liburna. an Illyrian type of a ship, which became livurna in Greek, and lifurna in Arabic. The name might also have been derived from forna, a word used by Gozitan fishermen to refer to " a cave hollowed out by the sea". There are several of these in Marsalforn, the best known being Ghar Qawqla `the cave at the steep hill`.
