The Cittadella is a small fortified Medieval town situated in Victoria, the capital town of Gozo.  This natural occurring fortified hill was chosen because of it's obvious vantage point for it provided visual control of the coastal areas.

The climatic Turkish raids of 1551 were tragic for both Gozo and her population. After a short siege a strong Turkish naval force carried off the entire Gozitan population (5000 men, women and children) into slavery. Only forty elderly citizens remained. It is said that it took nearly fifty years to re-populate Gozo and thus rebuild the besieged Cittadella.