VIGAN TRAVEL: These Souvenirs Along Calle Crisologo Scream Filipino Craftsmanship
The Hispanic origins of Vigan, as well as its many, thrilling stories about dons and belles of the ball, may have prompted you to take bits and pieces of its identity with you.
Gratefully, Calle Crisologo is lined with souvenir shops that can quench your thirst for trinkets for your personal keepsake or for pasalubong to gift to your family back home.
Also Read: VIGAN TRAVEL: Embark On A Historical Journey in Calle Crisologo
Souvenir shops along Calle Crisologo sell all kinds of treats and trinkets for Vigan’s tourists
Before starting your walk through the long stretch of Calle Crisologo, you may want to buy something to protect your head against the harsh rays of the sun. Buy some ladies’ hats or some fancy cowboy hats for the gentlemen priced between Php 100 to Php 120 only.
Ladies’ hats (Php 100 to Php 120)
Fancy cowboy and native Vigan hats (Php 100 to Php 120)
Stroll further and you will spot Rowilda’s Handloom Weaving with their bevy of multi-colored inabel or handwoven products. Rowilda’s utilizes their hundred-year-old wooden handloom located at Brgy. Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride away from Calle Crisologo.
Their factory uses a combination of cotton yarns and sewing threads to turn fabrics into table runners (Php 140 per meter), placemats (Php 350/6 pcs., blankets (Php 380 to Php 680), pillowcases (Php 280/pair), and bath towels (Php 250 to Php 280).
Also Read: VIGAN TRAVEL: Rowilda’s Factory Continues the Century-Old Practice of Loom Weaving
Handwoven blankets available at Rowilda’s Handloom Weaving (Php 380 to Php 360)
For clothing, sport the coolest tees from Islands Souvenirs, just across Vigan’s JTC Supermart, priced between Php 200 to Php 500. Aside from their artsy designs, the high-quality fabric of the shirts also adds to their overall appeal.
T-shirts from Islands Souvenirs (Php 200 to Php 500)
You may also score two of Ilocos region’s signature food and drink, Basi wine and Vigan longganisa, along Calle Crisologo.
Basi wine is known to be one of Ilocos’ local premium beverage made from sugarcane. The liquor is fermented in a burnay or clay jar for 6 to 12 months until it turns into a pale red color. Its sweet yet bitter taste is well-loved among locals and can be found in the whole region.
Basi Wine (Php 200)
Vigan longganisa or sausage, on the other hand, is famous for its garlicky, salty, and spicy taste. It can be bought almost anywhere in Ilocos, but do give Cely’s a try located at Brgy. Tamag and Gonzales at Brgy. Capangpangan in the town of Vigan.
Vigan Longaniza (Php 100)
Vigan also seems to be a town abound with artists, taking into consideration the various paper-mâché, wooden carvings, and metallic crafts like wooden calesas or horse-drawn carriages (Php 100) and motorcycle replicas made of metal scraps (Php 350 to Php 1,000 depending on size) being sold in the area.
Wooden-like horse carriages made of paper-mâché (Php 100)
Motorcycle replicas made of recycled metal scraps (Php 350 to Php 1,000 depending on size)
Wooden carvings at Lucy’s Antique Shop along Calle Crisologo (Php 50 to Php 300)
When you visit Vigan, do plan a morning stroll along Calle Crisologo and get your hands on the coolest Ilocano crafts you can ever find in the region!
How to get here:
- By car: From Candon, Ilocos Sur, take the MacArthur Highway going north, then make a left turn to Quirino Boulevard. Turn onto Silang Street and turn right to Calle Crisologo.
- By public transport: From Manila, you can ride buses heading to Vigan such as Farinas, Partas, and Viron Transit. From the bus terminal, you may either hail a taxi or tricycle going to Calle Crisologo.
General Information:
Address: Crisologo St., Mestizo District, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
This first appeared in Philippine Primer’s Japanese and English Magazine’s February 2019 issue.
