This walk offers up new insights into Panjim’s picturesque Fontainhas area, also known as the Latin Quarter of Goa. Steeped in history and heritage the lanes and by-lanes walk you into Portugal’s deep influences on India’s past in this coastal enclave, where today the old and new worlds collide. You will discover the rich tales of the emergence of a ‘Nova Goa’ or Panjim, with the collapse of the old capital of Old Goa as it succumbed to an epidemic and the march of history. Leading you into the past here are several heritage homes and some owners who share some narratives of the game-changing things that set off these transformations.
Nestled between Ourem Creek on the east and the Altinho Hill to the west the heritage-rich quarter of Fontainhas has been a magnet for history buffs and streams of tourists seeking the old ways of Panjim, Goa’s new capital.
Though Goa’s history has been shaped by Hindus, Muslims and the Portuguese it is at Fontainhas, set up by a rich merchant Antonio Joao de Sequeira in the 18th century, where the stamp of Portuguese culture emerges in its richest overtones as it became the hub of the Portuguese government when Old Goa was abandoned because of the epidemic. Since 1984 Fontainhas has been a UNESCO -acclaimed World Heritage Site.
The best way to explore the area is to do it on foot. The walk transports you to those colonial days as you wander past homes decked out in the Portuguese-style in pastel shades, traditional stairways, sloping red-tiled roofs and balconies. Each year, by colonial tradition, the houses are repainted post the monsoon. In February the Fontainhas Festival is an art and cultural treat.