Life can be fast. Wake-up, run to shower, throw on clothes, grab coffee to go and sprint to the subway. Not so, however, for those places designated as "Cittaslow" (pronounced: CHEETA-SLOW). Originally born in Italy, the movement, which encourages people to take notice of their natural surroundings and to support local food and drink producers and maintain sustainable population levels, is an off-shoot of the Slow Food Movement. There are 55 criteria that places must satisfy if they want to earn the title Cittaslow, or a "slow city." The criteria are divided into six headings: environmental policy, infrastructure, quality of the urban public, encouragement of local products and local production, hospitality and slow city awareness among residents.
We've put together a selection of nine of the world's slow cities for you to look at. Let us know what you think!
CHECK THEM OUT HERE: