Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino visited the area known as Il-Qortin ta? Isopu in Nadur on Friday, where a number of projects are currently being carried out by the Nadur local council.

The rehabilitation of this area will be integrated into an overall agro-tourism project, comprising walks in the countryside starting from Dahlet Qorrot, fruit-picking at the orange and lemon groves in Wied Rihan, and ending with local food-tasting at the Isopu Tower, the minister said. The project also comprises the restoration of the tower, the rehabilitation of the adjacent quarry, as well as the scheduling of the surrounding landscape.

The Isopu Tower, which commands the promontory over San Blas Bay, Dahlet Qorrot, Wied ir-Rihan, l-Irdum il-Kbir and l-Irdum ta? San Filep, was built in 1656 during the grandmastership of Fra Martin De Redin. Before its restoration, the tower was in a sorry state. The original spiral staircase was non-existent, while the slabs separating the ground floor from its subterranean vault and roof were in danger of collapse.

Eight truckloads of debris were collected from the tower during restoration works, which were carried out by the Nadur local council in collaboration with the Malta Environment Planning Authority (Mepa) and Din l-Art Helwa.

The project took about three years to complete, and the material work was carried out single-handedly by Leli Saliba. The tower shall serve as the arriving point of the existing ramblers? route, with local products such as goat cheeselets, capers and sun dried tomatoes on offer to guests, who shall be admitted to the tower in groups of not more than 20.

For its part, the Qortin ta? Isopu quarry was in use from 1973 until 2002. By that time, the quarry had spread out over a surface area of five tumoli, reaching a depth of 35 metres. In the past two and a half years, the quarry was filled with construction waste, and is now almost fully rehabilitated. The aim is to convert the land to its previous pristine garigue form. To this end, the contractor has already put forward Lm20,000, while the council is trying to attract EU funds. Work is expected to last 18 months.

The garigue present at the Qortin ta? Isopu and Qortin tal-Magun is among the richest present in the Maltese islands, and is home to the white rockrose, an indigenous plant found only in one other locality in Malta. Besides their geomorphological and ecological importance, these sites, along with l-Irdum il-Kbir and l-Irdum ta? San Filep, provide among the most breathtaking panoramic views in the islands. In the words of Minister Pullicino, they ?are best admired during late May and early June due to the bright colours of velvet and green.? Both areas will be included in the provisional list of designated Natura 2000 sites for Malta.