Fontainhas, located in Panjim, is known as Goa’s Latin quarter. Your brown girl prefers calling it the IG (Instagram) capital of Goa. Read on to know why.
If you’ve ever googled Fontainhas or do so in the future, you’ll see it being described as a quiet part of Panjim with old beautiful houses and Portuguese architecture, retaining the old world charm. Founded in the late 18th century by a wealthy Portuguese named Antonio Joao de Sequeira, he used the land for coconut plantations. But, in the early 1800s, due to the spread of epidemic in Old Goa, the Portuguese government headquarters was shifted to Panjim. As a result, the place was transformed into a residential area for Portuguese administrative officers. In 1984, Fontainhas was declared a UNESCO heritage.
Fontainhas had been in my bucket list of places to go to, for quite many years, all courtesy the pictures on the web. An unplanned trip to Goa set things in action. The heat and humidity of Goa monsoon was not to deter me from exploring the nooks and corners of the supposedly beautiful quaint town. Well, it’s beautiful indeed – old buildings, neon coloured walls, narrow winding streets lined with cute cafes, a very beautiful all white church and but that’s it. There are also very many tourists walking about those streets, all probably lured by those same beautiful pictures to be found on the web. All posing in front of those painted walls to recreate what’s already been posted on Instagram by several others.
Fontainhas does have organised cultural walking tours and it would be best to participate in one of those to get a better idea of the history and surroundings of the town, lest you get lost like me.
There’s also a Fontainhas art and culture festival held every year in February. The festival aims at creating awareness about Goan heritage among younger generations and in turn preserving the distinct culture of Goa. Your brown girl wishes to witness this festival some day and will then write more about it. Till then, happy reading and travelling. And my dear reader, if you’ve been to Fontainhas, do hit me up, would love to hear your experience.
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