Taipa House Museum

Lonely Planet review

The five lime-green villas facing the water were built in 1921 by wealthy Macanese as summer residences and three of them collectively form this unusual museum. The two houses east of where Avenida da Praia meets Rua do Supico are used for receptions and special exhibitions; the three to the west house permanent collections.

The House of the Regions of Portugal (Casa das Regiões de Portugal) contains costumes and examines traditional ways of life in Portugal. The House of the Islands (Casa das Ilhas) looks at the history of Taipa and Coloane, with interesting displays devoted to the islands' traditional industries: fishing and the manufacture of oyster sauce, shrimp paste and fireworks. The last is the Macanese House (Casa Macaense), a residence done up in traditional local style that looks like the dom e doña (husband and wife) residing here just left. The mix of furnishings - heavy blackwood furniture and Chinese cloisonné with statues and pictures of saints and the Sacred Heart - offers a snapshot of life in Macau in the early 20th century.