In the hustle and bustle of US life, we often forget the beauty of small town living. Do not dispair, however, because there is an international network of small cities called Cittaslow. Which is open to towns with a population under 50,000. Cittaslow was founded in 1999, following a meeting organized by the mayor of Greve in Chianti, Tuscany (between Sienne and Florence). The organization has developed a charter that encourages high quality local food and drink, general conviviality and the opposition to “cookie cutter” cultures. Originally membership was limited to Italian towns but now there is an international membership that extends to fourteen foreign countries including Germany, Norway, the UK, Turkey, the US and Canada.
My bucket list now includes visiting as many of the members of Cittaslow as possible. In fact, the town of Lagos in Portugal is one of the members and we visit this gem on Epicurean Travel’s Southern Portugal travel adventure. Here is more information from Wikipedia:
Cittaslow logo
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| Motto | International Network of Cities where living is good |
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| Formation | 15 October 1999 |
| Headquarters | Orvieto, Italy |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Membership
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192 (November 2014) |
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Honorary President
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Paolo Saturnini |
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International President
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Stefano Pisani |
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Secretary General
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Pier Giorgio Oliveti |
| Affiliations | Slow Food |
| Website | www |