Fontainhas a place located in the capital city of Goa called Panjim is known for its sloppy lanes and colourful buildings in Portugal style. People visit this place to see the beautiful and colourful villas and houses with red-tiled roofs. This place is flanked by an old Creek called Ourem Creek to the east and Altinho hills to its west. Goa was once ruled by Portuguese and Fontainhas is the colony where the Portugal rulers lived during their colonization period.
The Portugal rulers had the rule that every person living there must paint their houses every year and this contributes to being one of the reasons why this place is now a tourist spot. They built their houses and villas with beautiful architectural of Portuguese with hangings wooden balconies, bougainvillea flowers all down the street and colourful villas and houses giving the peace and eye-catching views.
Most of these houses and villas are now converted to be restaurants that serve authentic European cuisines and museums, training centers and hotels. The roads are well maintained and clean. The place is pleasant which makes people feel like walking down the lanes watching the beautiful scenic beauty and Portugal architectural style colony. Walking in this town is known as ‘heritage walk’ and it is the only part of Goa where Portuguese is still a widely spoken language.
Though fontainhas is a small area there’s a lot to explore. The original natural spring was called the fountain of Phoenix. It also has a lot of churches, a red brick wishing well, cafes, art galleries, bakeries and the Portugal architectural style.
The Gitanjali Gallery in Panjim has the collection of Contemporary art and Scandinavian lithographs, lino prints and etchings stored from the middle 90s period. There’s a chapel of St. Sebastian where artifacts are kept. An old well is attached next to the chapel and there’s also a statue of the Virgin Mary which was relocated from a church of Diu.
This place is the proof for Goa isn’t only the party capital of the country where people come and have fun and parties over the amazing beachside but there’s more to Goa and its Fontainhas is a must-visit place and explores for every kind of person. It’s a perfect stop to enjoy the architectural beauty of Portugal style and peace.
