Stepping Through Time Portals in Margao...

Of the many extraordinary historical homes I saw in Goa, the one I fell completely in love with was the Monte da Silva House in Margao. Built in the second half of the sixteenth century, the house feels and breathes 450 years of lived history and character and stories. At some level it’s still hard to believe that behind a white door on a busy road in the middle of Margao is this window into another world. It’s literally like stepping through a portal into a world of cool shade under high ceilings, handmade Italian tile and red oxide floors, whispers in the shadows and echoes in the hallways. 

In many ways it reminded me of a Venetian palazzo. But instead of the government or generous benefactors ensuring that this vital part of our heritage is restored and preserved, it comes down to a young couple, the remarkable Fernando Monte da Silva and his wife Griselda. His family moved to Margao from Rachol centuries ago, following the legendary flood that changed the course of the Zuari River as we know it today, wiping out many houses along the riverbank in the process.

The restoration was begun by Fernando’s mother Augusta and his father, also named Fernando (who also own the home) twenty years ago. Over the last decade and more, the son Fernando and his family have put their full time careers on hold to restore their family home with love and care and every last drop of their savings. 

Fernando and Griselda host dinners at the home (which you can find on Instagram as  @ourwhitedoor ) . But I think this place can and should be a lot more. We spent the morning with Fernando, listening to him chat and share stories of the town and it’s families, of old priests and mad landowners, of feasts and fiestas, of dive bars and ras omelettes, of haunted homes and lazy afternoons with his friends... and we could have stayed there forever. This is a man so filled with love and passion for his culture, his roots and his home that it felt like a privilege just to spend time with him. Someone should create an experience just to enable people to spend time with Fernando. To see his home, his town and his state through his eyes, to experience the things that move him and inspire him. I feel that would be a day and an experience that would be unforgettable, one well worth traveling for. 

I would love for the Monte da Silva home to be better known. For it to be written about across the world. For Fernando and Griselda to get the support and help they need to preserve this extraordinary place. We live in a world with very little magic. On the rare moments when we find it, we must all try and come together to save it. To save the sacred and the magical and the beautiful cannot be left to a young couple alone...