The reason why many people can't seem to appreciate Vigan is because they just zoom in to Calle Crisologo - forgetting that the the whole town is inscribed as WHS. I can't blame them though as even the local promotion of Vigan as a heritage site is only focused on that narrow street. In fact, it is one of the few towns where in the whole area is under the WHS inscription (others have specific areas - usually their old districts, some only have designated monuments such as churches and select old buidlings). So, how should Vigan be appreciated? The beauty of the trading town of Vigan is in the urban planning utilized in designing the place. It happens to be the best Spanish colonial planned town in Asia. Sadly, other parts of Vigan are neglected already and are not highlighted for their cultural heritage, and importance. Recently, there was the introduction of the Vigan River Cruise - though i have not yet personally tried this - that goes through the history of the town with presentations, cultural shows, and lectures. It is interesting to note that the cobblestone street of Calle Crisologo is already a reconstruction - the stones were dug under 3 layers of modern concrete streets and later on put together again to make the present old pathway; and that the Meztizo District's old colonial houses (which you must admire in quantity! don't have foundations - so, if you were superman, you can literally push all of the houses without heavily destroying the structure. As with any trading colonial town, the old houses used to be painted with pastel colors, similar to its Latin American counterparts. Moreover, a closer inspection of the houses would suggest that they possess stronger affinities to Chinese architecture than European. Ask around what a ventanilla is - that's uniquely a Filipino touch to the houses. Notice also how the cathedral and the old bishop's palace are adorned with Chinese Fu dog statues. 30 minutes south of Vigan is Sta. Maria Church, and 1.5hr. to the north will lead to you to the magnificent Paoay Church. These two WHS churches are under the inscription 'Baroque Churches of the Philippines'.