Rome in Sri Lanka???
Yes.
It’s called Negombo.
Negombo is located on the west coast of the island, near the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is the fifth largest city in the country after Colombo – the capital, Kandy, Jaffna and Galle. It is one of the major commercial hubs in Sri Lanka consisting of about 128,000 inhabitants in the city limits, and located approximately 35 km north of the Colombo city. And it is conveniently located within 7 kilometers from the Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka.
Negombo has a charming old fishing village atmosphere with busy fish markets and golden sandy beaches. Few fail to fall in love with the outrigger canoes and catamarans that sail past the main hotel stretch daily.
Negombo has a majority of Roman Catholics along with Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. The highly ornate Portuguese-era Roman Catholic churches are found within the township. In town there are ruins of an old Dutch fort. Main attractions in the city are the old Dutch fort gate built in 1672 – which is now a part of the prison, the Dutch Canal – which was then a supply route to the Dutch administration, old churches and fishing villages. Due to these reasons people used to call Negombo as “Little Rome”.
Catamaran
Negombo fish market
Things to do when you are in Negombo
- Visit Negombo city, Visit Fish market & a Fishing village.
- Visit the old Church
- Take a Boat Tourfrom the Muthurajawela Visitor Centre, located down a stretch of Dutch Canal.
- Special Seafood Dinner
- Visit thelarge temple called Angurukaamulla in Negombo
- Kayaking and Canoeing
– Kalani Bandaranayake
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