Città Slow - the other cities to visit

Many of us have traveled to foreign cities in search of monuments and museums. All too often we hastily transport ourselves from city to city over the course of a week or two, awaking each morning in a new hotel to embark on yet another ambitious itinerary. Completing the daily checklist can be exhausting, especially if tourism is in high season and the weather’s hot.

All travelers have been there before. After just barely learning your way around one city you're heading off to the next. Traveling this way is not only tiring, but it limits your opportunities to meet local people and appreciate a city’s less advertised treasures. If you want a more authentic experience where you have the opportunity to meet locals, attend festivals, and sample traditional cuisine there is another way to travel.

Instead of visiting mass tourism destinations try visiting a city belonging to Cittaslow, the international Slow Cities association based on principles of good, healthy living. Cittaslow began in Italy, the country where the Piaggio Ape truck steered with scooter-type handlebars meets the glamour and speed of Lamborghini. It embraces the Latin idea festina lente - hurrying slowly. Cittaslow seeks to maintain the local character of smaller towns and cities in a sometimes standardized world community. Individuality at the local level is essential to the organization’s charter which stresses “the quality of life in local areas, as well as good food, wine, and extending hospitality to visitors.” 

Cittaslow goes international

Cittaslow was formed in 1999 by the Italian provincial towns Greve in Chianti, Orvieto, Bra, and Positano. A simple idea based on preserving gastronomy, the environment and local cultures quickly grew by way of the Internet. Today it’s a burgeoning international movement of 100 cities and towns in 10 countries. Fifty-one Italian towns and cities are officially designated as Città Slow. Additional Italian cities are awaiting certification while others are attempting to meet the requirements. International members exist in Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.

Slow Cities must pledge their commitment to the charter and their population must not exceed 50,000 residents. They may not be state capitals or the homes of regional governments. The cities must agree to abide by parameters of environmental conservation, infrastructure, pedestrian zones, artisanal production, sustainable agriculture, and citizen services.

Cittaslow integrates the past with contemporary lifestyles while embracing progress and change when sustainable. Its member cities embrace good living as important to physical, mental, and spiritual health. They pride themselves on being “less frantic and fast,” but also on being “more human, environmentally correct and sensible for the present and future generations.” Modern telecommunications enable even the most ambitious residents of a Città Slow to keep up with stock trades while enjoying a calmer life.

Cities that work for people

Stefano Cimicchi, formerly Mayor of Orvieto and cofounder of Cittaslow, worked with the European Union to encourage responsible urban planning. According to Cimicchi the socio-cultural role of cities benefits overall society. He argues that evidence has shown that, “The model for the ideal city is the late-Medieval and Renaissance one, with the piazza functioning as a center of social aggregation.” Anyone who’s spent time in Italy has seen this lifeblood in the Piazza or town square. It’s here that residents and visitors alike gather for espresso, engage in conversation, and listen to outdoor musicians.

Slow Cities also promote traditional agricultural methods to ensure that food and wine maintain their regional character and connection to the land. Slow Cities work in cooperation with Slow Food, the international movement that seeks to ward off fast food, to better the quality of life of their residents. Environmental conservation is emphasized and food producer/consumer relationships are benefited by regular farmers markets.

Ultimately Slow Cities seek to improve the urban experience by making areas more livable. The Cittaslow platform urges that Slow Cities are “rich in theatres, squares, cafes, workshops, restaurants and spiritual places, towns with untouched landscapes and charming craftsman, where people are still able to recognize the slow course of the seasons and their genuine products respecting tastes, health and spontaneous customs.”

So the next time you’re browsing through those glossy travel catalogs and spot tours promising 15 cities in 10 days, think about spending a couple of days in a Città Slow instead.  Enjoying local culture, traditional food and wine, and relaxing travel can be personally moving and refreshing. As Mayor Cimicchi observed “Being slow doesn’t mean arriving late. On the contrary, it means using new technologies to make towns and cities ideal places to live.”