A Visit in Vigan City

Days before Vigan City, Ilocos Sur was inaugurated as among the New 7Wonders Cities in the world, my family had a chance to visit the place which, by the way, is also included in the UNESCO world heritage list. It was an instant trip through a travel agency, but everything went smoothly.

We set foot in Calle Crisologo where the famous Vigan Heritage Village was situated. According to vigan.ph, Vigan’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List is due to the preservation of around 187 residential, institutional, commercial and religious structures that transport visitors to the past. What’s amazing about these structures is that they continue to be used by current locals as they were used by former owners who lived in the 18th century. Their structural endurance and relevance to every-day use until this modern day is testament to the genius and high-level of craftsmanship in the creation of these architectural treasures.

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To roam around Calle Crisologo or even the whole city of Vigan, you can opt to ride a Kalesa.

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Along the road, you can find local handicraft stores. Vigan crafts, including woodcraft, might have eventually disappeared if not for the huge demand that was generated by the patronage of the Marcos family during former President Ferdinand Marcos’ regime.

You can also find some furniture and antique store in Calle Crisologo.

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The photo below is the Lucy Chan Antique House, Vigan’s 32nd oldest surviving architectural antiquity on record. According to its historical background, it is believed that Don Renato Pena built this Camarin on a lot purchased from the Florentino clan in the late 18th century.

Immediately before and after WWII, the Chan family rented this Camarin for their dry goods store. One of the Chan’s descendants, Lucy Chan acquired the property and established the Lucy Chan Antique House.

 

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You won’t get hungry while roaming the Calle Crisologo because there are some restaurants and carinderia in the area and dirty ice cream on the corner.

It was a 15 minutes walk, but it took us more than 30 minutes to explore Calle Crisologo. Halfway the Spanish-style street the kids and kids-at-heart were so excited for the historical JUMPSHOT!

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Of course, we had our family picture taken with the I LOVE VIGAN standee.

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The inauguration for New 7Wonders city took place last May 7 at St Paul Metropolitan Cathedral grounds.

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There are so many place to visit in Vigan City. We also explore the Hidden Garden, The Pottery, Crisologo Museum and the famous Baluarte which I would like to share to you in a different post.

19 comments on “A Visit in Vigan City

  1. I have to start planning the Vigan trip that I’ve been putting off for a while now. It brings me great news that Vigan is considered as one of the 7 new wonder cities in the world. I hope to visit Vigan super soon.

  2. Looks like you had so much fun. I enjoyed looking at your photos. It looks like a very nice place and I would love to visit Vigan.

  3. ive never heard of vigan or even know where it is. you and your family looked like you were all having fun

  4. Such a pretty town! It reminds me of the Fortified old town of Galle, and also Georgetown in Melaka (Malaysia), both towns inscribed in the Unesco list too! How far is this place from Manila?

  5. This place looks very beautiful must say it is really hidden as didnt know about it. i love the family holidays spending time with kids. Those famiy together photos are the perfect one to make our homes beautiful.

  6. We visited Vigan for an exposure trip years back and we really enjoyed our stay there. We had so much fun and memories in Calle Crisologo! Hehe. Great place to just walk around especially at night.

    Vigan is a far place to go to (about 10 hours drive?) but is definitely worth going to! Wish a lot of Filipinos do visit the place. The people too are very friendly.

  7. Our whole family visited the Ilocos Region one Christmas vacation, and of course, Vigan is one of the main destinations. Do not miss their Empanadas — so fiiling and delicious.

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