Philosophy
Good living means having the opportunity of enjoying solutions and services that allow citizens to live their town in an easy and pleasant way.
Living slow means being slowly hasty ; “festina lente” latins used to say, seeking everyday the “modern times counterpart” in other words looking for the best of the knowledge of the past and enjoying it thanks to the best possibilities of the present and of the future.
All of this will result in technological opportunities, modern solutions in communication, transportation, incoming, production and selling.
At present living and managing a Slowcity is just a particular way of carrying on an ordinary life-style rather than today’s trends.
Of course this way is meant to be, less frantic, yelding and fast; but there is no doubt that it will be more human, environmentally correct and sensible for the present and future generations; the project will respect small realities in a more and more global connected world.
Slow for a better life
We are looking for “towns where men are still curious of the old times, towns rich of 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...." (from Cittaslow Manifesto).
For this reason Slow Food has always sought the quality of life and made those things the main source of its success and of its worldwide expansion; Slow Food, together with those cities which mirror themselves in its ideals, have built the Cittaslow international network.
In times of “fast”, of production and of pressing velocity, carrying on such a goal seems to be an utopia; many majors coming from different towns have joined together and as well as with Slow Food in order to create the Cittaslow’s huge common project.
The movement has expanded to 100 towns and 10 countries all over the world since 1999, connecting administrators, citizens and Slow Food partners. He common goal is to have mutual experiences focusing on gourmet food, incoming, services qualities and on the environment.
Excellences
The Slow Cities movement promotes the use of technology oriented to improving the quality of the environment and of the urban fabric, and in addition the safe-guarding of the production of unique foods and wine the contribute to the character of the region.
In addition, Slow Cities seek to promote dialog and communication between local producers and consumers. With the overarching ideas of environmental conservation, the promotion of sustainable development, and the improvement of the urban life, Slow Cities provide incentives to food production using natural and environmentally-friendly techniques (one method for this promotion is through the Presidia).
The designation “Slow City” will become the mark of quality for smaller communities (only those with less than 50,000 residents may apply). Slow Cities are not state capitals or the seat of regional governments, but are strong communities that have made the choice to improve the quality of life for their inhabitants.