Praia Avenue, Taipa
Another of the sites worth taking in when you are in Taipa village. Located around the same hillock that houses the Carmel Church and Camoes Park. Praia Avenue is a fine example of how to do heritage conservation, something that Macau just does better than Hong Kong, period. Situated along what used to be a waterfront promenade (Praia is the Macanese/Portuguese spelling of ‘praya’ – a word often used in Hong Kong for the naming of waterfront roads) sits five gloriously restored Macanese houses collectively known as Casa Museu.
All the houses were constructed in 1921 (a fact attested by the date plaque on the front facades). They were originally inhabited by high ranking civil servants and their Macanese families but since 1999 have been restored (you can see them looking a bit shabby in the aforementioned chase sequence in Jackie Chan’s 1983 ‘Project A’) and three of the five are now used as museums (free on Sunday’s, 5 MOPS at other times).
Of the remaining two, one has been transformed into an exhibition space and the other a ‘House of Reception’. Hmmm, given the nearby working Church I can only guess that this refers to wedding receptions. It’s certainly a nice enough location for one.
