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TAAL HERITAGE TOWN is definitely worth visiting & re-visiting, with its historical homes, cool cafes, delicious delicacies and unique handicrafts. There’s so much to see & do, that one won’t be able to cover it all by spending just a few hours here.
Our recent day-trip gave us a glimpse of this town’s grandeur during its glory days. We arrived by 1130AM and appropriately started our tour at the Basilica of St. Martin de Tours, a majestic baroque-style structure from 1875. Apparently, it is the biggest Catholic church in Southeast Asia, dedicated to the town’s patron saint, St. Martin of Tours in France, a Bishop best known for using his military sword to cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar in rags during the height of winter.
We stopped for lunch at the lovely Feliza Café y Taverna, known to be the most refined resto in Taal. Its quaint decors transported us back in time, as we were served delicious dishes by its attentive staff, who were very knowledgeable about the Town’s History. They even gave us a Tourist Brochure to guide us for the rest of the day.
Then, we moved on to Galleria Taal, an ancestral home of Domingo & Maria Ilagan in the 1800’s, turned into an interesting Museum of vintage cameras & antiquarian Philippine photographs. The original owner of the collection is Manny Innumerable, grandson of the first owner of this Heritage House.
After our guided tour here, we crossed over to the House of Don Leon Apacible, a prominent figure in our Philippine Revolution & 1st Republic. This 18th century, art-deco mansion has the best-preserved interiors in town, still with its original narra floors & staircase. We were impressed to find that the place had been converted into an informative Museum by the government, showcasing the family’s rich history through audio-visual presentations and graphic illustrations plus, a free tour (donations are welcome of course)! I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the mom of my step-brothers is part of the Apacible Family Tree. Her name and photo, together with her siblings, were featured here as well.
Down the road was a similar type of Museum, the Marcella Agoncillo Mansion, the sewer of the 1st Philippine Flag in 1898. She gained the title “Mother of the Philippine Flag” and married a well known lawyer of the town, Don Felipe Agoncillo, giving him 6 children.
We walked around Calle Agoncillo a bit further, taking some snapshots of this artsy street, but since the the other landmarks here were closed (and open only on week-ends), we decided to make our way back to Manila by mid-afternoon.
There are still many things to explore here—more ancestral homes, religious sites, the public market, along with the embroiderers, basket weavers & balisong makers.
Let's go back to Taal for an unforgettable adventure with MY LOCALITE!!!
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