The Slow City movement (or Cittaslow movement) originated in Greve, a small town in the Chianti region of Northern Italy, and it received a sensational response from urban dwellers hungry for an escape from their daily chase around the clock. The word “slow” here actually means more than simply the opposite of the “fast.”
It implies a connection to nature, a respect for the environment, taking the time to appreciate things like the change of seasons, taking life a little easier, and making time for genuine soul-searching.
The meaning of a slow life is also conveyed in the manifesto of Cittaslow, the international network of Slow Cities. It explains that a slow life also means freely strolling around, listening, doing nothing or even daydreaming, contentedly waiting, soul-searching and pursuing “an analogue way of life”. more…