http://www.lastminute.com/site/find/World/Asia/India/Kerala.rssen-gbInfo on lastminute.com's Kerala offeringshttp://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> Kochi's St Francis Church was built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars and is one of India's oldest European churches.]]> Kochi is made up of mainland Ernakulam, the islands of Willingdon, Bolgatty and Gundu, Fort Cochin and Mattancherry on the southern peninsula and Vypeen Island. All these areas are linked by ferry and some are linked by bridges. Most historical sites are on the peninsula, which makes it the most interesting place in Kochi to spend time.]]> Thrissur derives from the Malayalam word Thrissivaperur, meaning the "town of the Sacred Shiva". It is built on elevated ground, at the apex of which is the famous Vadakkunathan Temple, with its exquisite murals narrating the story of the epic Mahabharatha.]]> At one end of Kochi's Jew Street is Jewish Cemetery Road, with its Malayalam and Hebrew tombstones. A short walk brings you to Pardesi Synagogue, the last remaining of the area's seven Jewish places of worship.]]> Built by the Portuguese in 1555, Mattancherry Palace was presented to the Raja of Kochi in the 16th century as a gesture of goodwill. The building's alternative name, the "Dutch Palace", resulted from substantial renovations by the Dutch after 1663.]]> Kochi's Chinese nets are fixed land installations for an unusual form of fishing. Most who visit the old town head to the water's edge to see how they are operated, and to sample the catch, cooked onshore nearby.]]> The Hill Palace archaeological museum at Thripunithura is made up of 49 buildings, surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with ponds, fountains and lawns.]]> The Madhavan Nayar Foundation consists of three buildings housing a Museum of Keralan History, a Gallery of Painting and Sculpture, a Centre for Visual Arts and a Doll Museum.]]>