The Basilica of Ta'Pinu, accessible via a short, scenic walk from Għarb, is an extraordinary sight – a huge, lone church on a Gozitan hillock, towering over the countryside. Malta's national shrine to the Virgin Mary is an important centre of pilgrimage. It was built in the 1920s on the site of a chapel where a local woman, Carmela Grima, claimed to have heard the Virgin speak to her in 1883.
Thereafter, numerous miracles were attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Pinu, and it was decided to replace the old church with a grand new one.
Built in a Romanesque style, with an Italianate campanile, it has a tranquil interior of pale golden stone. Part of the original chapel, with Carmela Grima's tomb, is incorporated behind the altar. The rooms to either side of the altar are filled with votive offerings, including children's clothes, hoists and plaster casts. The basilica's name comes from Filippino Gauci, who used to tend the old church – Pinu is the Malti diminutive for Filippino. Visitors should dress appropriately. A free smartphone audio tour is available over he church's wi-fi network.
It's well worth walking up the track leading to the top of the hill of Ta'Għammar opposite the church, which is punctuated by marble statues marking the Stations of the Cross.