The Provincial Tourism Information Office and the Cafe Leona are both housed in this building. This is the ancestral home of one of the most respected literary figure Leona Florentino (1849-1884), a Filipina poetess. Visitors will also see a statue of Leona Florentino in a small park across this 1797 house. It was placed there to give recognition to the first Filipina poet who achieved international attention. In 1887, her works were exhibited in Exposicion General de Filipinas in Madrid and in 1889 in the Exposition Internationale in Paris. Among her early poems in Ilokano were the Naangawan a Kablaaw ( A Jolly Birthday Greeting) and Nalpay a Namnama ( Blasted Hope). Her works helped to elevate the intellectual status of women in the Philippines.
We had our first breakfast of the famous Vigan langgonisa at the Café Leona. Their longganisa came in small pork sausage links with finely chopped garlic and vinegar as dipping sauce and it really tasted very good. We decided to try going there again at supper time and we were surprised to see that the place was packed to the max with lots of tourists, both foreigners and locals. One group saw us standing by the doorway looking for an empty seat and they stood up and offered their table to us since they were done eating anyway. We thanked them of course but that's what we call Ilokano hospitality at its best.
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