Santa Rita
Introduction
Santa Rita is a municipality in the state of Paraíba, in Brazil's Northeast Region. It sits within the wider Northeast, a part of the country known for its warm climate and distinct regional culture.
Before you go
Santa Rita is a small colonial-era town in Pampanga, established in 1697 after being separated from Porac. Because major highways bypass it, and despite the damage wrought by the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, it has kept a significant number of its colonial-era houses. Plan your visit around seeing these rather than treating the town as a quick highway stop.
Bear the weather in mind before you go. Santa Rita sits on low-lying ground and is highly susceptible to flooding during the rainy season, so time your trip for the drier months and check conditions before setting out.
Getting there
Santa Rita sits off the major highways of Pampanga, so getting there means routing through San Fernando or Guagua. Coming from Manila, take the San Fernando exit off the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and follow the Gapan-Olongapo Road, also known as Jose Abad Santos Avenue (JASA). From San Fernando, head west towards Guagua, then turn right at the junction where signage points to Santa Rita. A parallel road, Dalan Betis, also links the town with the Betis district of Guagua.
Jeepneys from both San Fernando and Guagua serve downtown Santa Rita and its barangay of Dila-dila, on the boundary with Porac; the town is likewise a stopover on the Porac–Guagua jeepney route. From Metro Manila, board a bus bound for Zambales or Bataan and get off along JASA at the Guagua junction heading to Santa Rita.
Getting around
Downtown Santa Rita is compact enough to cover on foot, so once you reach the centre, walking is the most practical way to get around the core. For trips beyond the centre, tricycles are the main form of transportation between barangays.
Jeepneys link Santa Rita with the neighbouring towns of San Fernando and Guagua, serving downtown Santa Rita as well as the subsidiary barangay of Dila-dila on the boundary with Porac. Santa Rita is also a stopover along the Porac–Guagua jeepney route, so you can reach the town from either direction on that line. Note that Santa Rita is served by highways and local roads rather than rail; if you arrive by bus from Metro Manila bound for Zambales or Bataan, you can disembark along Jose Abad Santos Avenue near the Guagua junction and continue to Santa Rita by local transport.
Where to stay
The source material for Santa Rita contains no accommodation information, so there is nothing to say about where to stay.Food & drink
Santa Rita's most distinctive sweet is turrones de casoy, a nougat-like confection made from cashew nuts wrapped in a thin edible wafer. The wafer is easy to mistake for wrapping paper, so take care not to throw it away before you eat it. For native Kapampangan confectioneries, head to Ocampo Lansang Delicacies on Ocampo Street in San Jose, a bakery selling these local treats.
For a proper Kapampangan meal, Balé Pampanga in Dila-dila serves Kapampangan cuisine set inside a farm; it takes reservations only, so arrange your visit through their social media pages ahead of time. When you want coffee, Salaria Coffee on Gosioco Street in San Vicente is a cafe inside the grounds of Gosioco Manor, run by the Gosioco family.
What to see and do
Santa Rita's sights cluster tightly around the centre of San Jose, where you can walk between several of them. The Santa Rita de Cascia Church, an 18th-century Baroque church on Sunset Drive, stands in front of the Municipal Hall, and across the street on Gosioco Street you'll find Villa Epifania, a 1930s Art Deco residence said to be the town's first concrete structure and a frequent location for films, TV series and ghost-hunting expeditions. Beside the church is the Carpio Ancestral House, and Gosioco Street continues to reward a slow wander: the Pineda Ancestral House, a 1917 residence later used as a school building, sits inside Santa Rita Catholic School, with the Maglalang Ancestral House next to the school. For a deeper look at the town's heritage, head to San Vicente for the Gosioco Ancestral Manor on Gosioco Street, the well-preserved home of one of Santa Rita's prominent families, built in 1841; the owners arrange heritage lunches or dinners and tours, though visits are by arrangement and need a group of at least ten. In San Matias, the Dominican Convent on the Santa Rita-Porac Road, inside the Dominican School, is a surviving Spanish-era religious building worth seeking out.Three days in Santa Rita
Day one: Base yourself in Santa Rita, Pampanga, in the Central Luzon plain of the Philippines, and use the town as your starting point for exploring the province. From San Fernando, follow Dalan Betis to Betis, and take jeepneys for the short hops between towns. In the evening, sample Kapampangan cooking, the local cuisine the region is known for.
Day two: Head north toward Mount Pinatubo, the volcano that dominates the landscape, and plan your onward travel carefully. Coming from Metro Manila, the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) brings you into the province via San Fernando, with Guagua and Porac within easy reach. Note that roads such as Jose Abad Santos Avenue (JASA) and the Olongapo Road connect the towns of Pampanga with Zambales and Bataan.
Day three: Spend your last day in Downtown Santa Rita and along Ocampo Street in San Jose, where Ocampo Lansang Delicacies sells local specialties worth trying before you leave. Balé Pampanga offers a look at traditional architecture and culture. From San Fernando you can continue to Gapan, or return to Metro Manila via the expressway.