DESTINATIONS GOA | WINTER SUN
3 explore a cluster of heritage homes
Portugal’s architectural influence went far beyond religious buildings, leaving behind heritage homes with features such as oyster-shell windows, azulejos tiles and intricate wooden balconies. It’s a treat to visit a couple of the most notable ones; the Menezes Braganza house in Chandor and, just six miles away, the Palacio do Deao in Quepem. The former is Goa’s most famous stately home, a 17th-century, Portuguese-style mansion made up of two symmetrical wings that atmospherically illustrate the differing fortunes of the two brothers who commissioned it. The more diminutive Palacio do Deao, by contrast, is a vibrant, lived-in home that’s a treat to explore – often with its current owner, Ruben Vasco da Gama – with whom you can share a traditional Goan lunch made by his wife, Celia, if you book a day ahead.
try a goan cookery class
Given the Brits’ love of curry, it’s no surprise that cookery classes are so popular in Goa. They’re offered all along the coast, but a perennial favourite is Rita’s Gourmet Goa in Dabolim. In a gazebo in the garden, amid lush greenery dotted with pottery and stonework as well as plants and herbs used in her dishes, chef Rita Shinde leads a wide range of classes teaching tourists how to cook Indian and Goan dishes that take in dhal, curries and breads, plus sweet treats like serradura and creme caramel. The most popular option is the one-day cookery class and market tour, but if you get the bug, you can sign up for an eight-day Goan cuisine course and learn to cook 40 dishes.
4
Go back in time to old goa
In 1542, the city of Goa Dourada (Golden Goa) was a key centre of the Portuguese empire in Asia. To visit Old Goa, as it’s now called, is a surreal experience that begins as you approach; the dome and bell towers of St Cajetan, rising above the jungle canopy, look for all the world like something from Renaissance Europe. In the town’s main square, a cluster of incongruous religious buildings centred around the Sé Cathedral – the largest church in Asia – make for a great day’s exploration. Fuel up with a bag of the giant local cashew nuts before taking in the Archbishop’s Palace, the Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi, St Catherine’s Chapel, St Augustine Tower, the Basilica of Bom Jesus and the monuments on Holy Hill.
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