Thirty-eight kilometres south of Vigan, this massive baroque structure built in 1769 – a Unesco World Heritage site – is unique. It has an imposing brick facade and sits alone on a hill – rather than in the town square like most Spanish churches – overlooking the town of Santa Maria, giving it an Alamo kinda vibe. It’s not hard to see why it was used as a fortress during the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Take any Manila-bound bus to Santa Maria.
