Do you think the said "Happy place" is just an illusion?
Come and visit and know the city of Naga and you'll surely believe.
for the mean time i want to give you a background about this amazing city :)
Naga City is known as the Heart Of Bicol because of its centralized location in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. Naga City residents are known as Naguenos and speak the Native dialect of Bicolano. Naga City is located about 380 kilometers southeast of Manila on the Southern Part of Luzon. It is located in the middle of the Camarines Sur Province.
History
Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (English: City of Nueva Caceres) was a former Spanish city in the Philippines. Established by Captain Pedro de Sanchez in 1575, the city was named after the honor of Governor-General Francisco de Sande who was native of Cáceres, Spain. In 1595, a papal bull coming from the Vatican created the See of Cáceres under the Archdiocese of Manila.
During its glory, Nueva Cáceres was considered the center of economy and industry in the Bicol Region. Nueva Cáceres was named as the province of Camarines' capital. When the province was dissolved in 1829 and 1857, the city then became the capital of Camarines Sur. From 1902 until 1908, some villages of Canaman and Camaligan were annexed to the city.
In 1919, after the fall of Spanish regime, most of Nueva Cáceres became part of the municipality of Naga while several villages in the northwest were returned to their respective mother towns to reform the old municipalities.
Historical Landmarks
1. THE NAGA CITY POLICE STATION AT BARLIN STREET
Site of the Cuartel General of the Guardia Civil in Camarines. It was constructed of granite blocks and wood in 1870.
2. SITE OF THE CASA TRIBUNAL AT ELIAS ANGELES STREET
Until 1839, the Casa Tribunal or “common house” stood at this site, on grounds prone to flooding from the Naga River that originally ran just behind the building.
3. SITE OF THE CASINO ESPANOL, CORNER ELIAS ANGELES AND ARANA STREETS
On this site stood the Casino Español, a spacious building of piedra china and wood that served as the social and recreational center of the male Spanish population of Nueva Caceres and neighboring towns.
4. SITE OF THE CASA REAL AT GENERAL LUNA STREET
By 1588, the Casa Real stood at this site. It was originally constructed of light indigenous materials. By 1655, the Casa Real was of bricks and lime. The Alcalde Mayor still resided in the building. Because Nueva Caceres was the capital of the province the Alcalde Mayor or Civil Governor also thereby exercised administrative control over the Spanish city which counted as component pueblos the pre-Hispanic native villages of Naga, Tabuco, and Camaligan.
5. CALLE VIA GAINZA (PENAFRANCIA AVENUE)
Peñafrancia Avenue was first known as Via Gainza in honor of Bishop Francisco Gainza, O.P. (1863-1879), the 25th and considered by many to have been the greatest Spanish bishop of the See of Caceres.
6. CALLE REAL (ELIAS ANGELES STREET)
Calle Real was one of the earliest streets in Spanish Nueva Caceres. It was laid out at about the time that the Castilian settlement was established as a city towards the close of the 1500s.
7. CALLE DE LEGASPI (WESTERN PORTION OF PANGANIBAN DRIVE)
Until the 1830s, this street did not exist. It was part of the marshy land of the pre-Hispanic village of Naga then bordered by the eastern bank of the Naga River.
8. PUENTE DE NAGA (LT. DELFIN ROSALES BRIDGE)
Before Alcalde Mayor Manuel Esquivel undertook his reclamation project, the area bisected by the Rio Naga east of Calle Real was part of the Pueblo de Naga. At that time, Naga was accessed from the Ciudad de Nueva Caceres via Tabuco or by another bridge of wooden slabs at the river’s original bend south of the San Francisco Church.
9. SITE OF THE HOUSE OF BICOLANO MARTYR TOMAS PRIETO (CORNER PANGANIBAN DRIVE AND PENAFRANCIA AVENUE)
Around half a century after Governor Manuel Esquivel’s reclamation project, Don Tomas Prieto acquired a residential lot on which he built a large house of stone and wood on this site. On the ground floor he put up his pharmacy store, the first one in the province.
Calle Real was one of the earliest streets in Spanish Nueva Caceres. It was laid out at about the time that the Castilian settlement was established as a city towards the close of the 1500s.
7. CALLE DE LEGASPI (WESTERN PORTION OF PANGANIBAN DRIVE)
Until the 1830s, this street did not exist. It was part of the marshy land of the pre-Hispanic village of Naga then bordered by the eastern bank of the Naga River.
8. PUENTE DE NAGA (LT. DELFIN ROSALES BRIDGE)
Before Alcalde Mayor Manuel Esquivel undertook his reclamation project, the area bisected by the Rio Naga east of Calle Real was part of the Pueblo de Naga. At that time, Naga was accessed from the Ciudad de Nueva Caceres via Tabuco or by another bridge of wooden slabs at the river’s original bend south of the San Francisco Church.
9. SITE OF THE HOUSE OF BICOLANO MARTYR TOMAS PRIETO (CORNER PANGANIBAN DRIVE AND PENAFRANCIA AVENUE)
Around half a century after Governor Manuel Esquivel’s reclamation project, Don Tomas Prieto acquired a residential lot on which he built a large house of stone and wood on this site. On the ground floor he put up his pharmacy store, the first one in the province.
10. SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH
The church and parish of San Francisco antedated the erection of the Diocese of Caceres in 1595 by nearly two decades.
CHURCHES
METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL
Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Penafrancia
PENAFRANCIA SHRINE
SAN FRANSISCO CHURCH
Tourist attractions
A five-hectare sprawl of tropical greenery, the park showcases various exotic plants, palms, an eco-walk maze, topiary garden, an orchid and mini-forest.
PANICUASON HOT SPRINGS RESORT
This is one of Bicol’s secret hideaways. Located at the bottom of a forest river ravine accessible via a private road, this resort is smack at the center of the teeming rain forest of Mt. Isarog. Only 30 minutes away from downtown naga, the resort is a sight to behold, a virtual jungle paradise of ancient trees and giant ferns minus the wild animals.
