With the unbridled congestion of the metro and the widespread contamination of our surroundings these days, i would sometimes pray for the abundance of old-fashioned things like fresh air, sunshine and farm lots. Why not? Perhaps, its the most luxurious boon that i can give to myself so i could breath obliviously. Well, talking about fresh air, on one of my occasional explorations, I've discovered a ranch house turned cafe somewhere in the sleepy town of Taal, Batangas where lush greenery and a breath of fresh air was very ordinary. 

Welcome to Casa Villavicencio! The last house that we visited during our walking tour in the historical town of Taal. The house of Don Eulalio Villavicencio, a ship captain, and wife Doña Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio. Casa Villavicencio was named the "wedding house" as it was Don Eulalio's wedding gift to his wife Gliceria. The house has been featured in books, national tourism promotions, publications, and as movie / advertising sets.

My favorite among the ancestral homes that we visited during our Taal Heritage Tour is the Galleria Taal. A camera museum with is the first and only in the country. It is located along the main street of Taal, just a tumbling away from the Leon Apacible Museum and the Agoncillo Shrine. It is an ancestral house and a camera treasure trove wrapped into one.

The ancestral home of the Ilagan-Barrion family houses an impressive and vast collection of vintage cameras owned by Mr. Manny Inumerable himself. Apart from the cameras, it also showcase an exhibit of photos by John Silva, John Tewell, George Bonasay and Sonny Camarillo. The exhibit also includes the only known existing photograph of Jose Rizal's execution.

After a sumptuous colonial lunch prepared at Villa Tortuga we proceed to the continuation of our walking tour. This time we set foot on one of the oldest ancestral house in Taal, the Leon Apacible Museum.

According to history, Leon Apacible is a lawyer and a judge of the Court of First Instance of Batangas City. With the proclamation of the Revolutionary Government, Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo appointed him as finance officer of Batangas.