He began his working life as a stone carver with his father and his older brother Melchiorre, who became a renowned sculptor.

[1] It is possible that Gafà was an apprentice of the Italian architect Francesco Buonamici while the latter lived in Malta.

[2] By the early 1660s he had developed a strong interest in architectural design and in 1661 is known to have been involved in the choir of the Church of St. Philip in Żebbuġ.

The cathedral was partially destroyed a few years later during the 1693 Sicily earthquake, although the newly built choir remained intact.

[3] Gafà also designed some secular buildings, including Villa Bichi (1675), the palace of the General of the Galleys in Birgu (before 1695) and possibly the Ta' Saura hospital in Rabat (1655).