It’s Taken A While But Slow Travel has Arrived

Back in 1989, Europe gave us the Slow Food movement, maybe now it’s time to consider the concept of Slow Travel. Can’t we ask for some of the same values from our travel experiences that the Slow Food organization asks from dining?

That it “counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.”

Couldn’t we ask for a brand of travel to counteract fast travel’s tendency to undermine authentic traditions and the mass market traveler’s dwindling interest in the authentic aspects of the places they visit, where those aspects come from and how our travel choices impact the world?

Obviously these are not new travel values, but that doesn’t mean more shouldn’t be done to stimulate them. Consider the Maltese islands, which enjoy a lucrative beach business from their top markets in the U.K. and Germany.

Despite the very good money they earn from that kind of tourism (29 percent of GDP) they are looking to add another slower aspect to their tourism in the MaltaGoesRural project, which strives to attract visitors to the Maltese countryside by way of a network of well-marked trails through natural areas, villages, heritage sites and what the mission statement defines as Malta’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Not that there’s anything wrong with sun and fun vacations, but Malta with its rich history and traditions wants to be appreciated as more than a life support system for sun tan lotion.

Wayfarers Walking Vacations is certainly on that wavelength. So much so that they even used the term Slow Travel to promote a walking vacation in Tuscany led by photographers.

The company describes their program well and in a language that could only be concocted by those who love Tuscany slowly, “The glowing colors, stunning Italian landscapes and contrast of the natural scenery against rich Renaissance treasures has proved a big draw for people looking to perfect their landscape photography skills or build a portfolio.”

Two all-inclusive tours, Tuscany and Umbria & Classic Tuscany, are being led by photographer Stephen Banks, who says it is a ‘must-do’ vacation for anyone who enjoys taking pictures. “When you're standing on top of the town hall in Montepulciano, for instance, and you see a vast expanse of countryside, penned in by mountainous peaks, and a huge sky above, you realize what a joy it is to photograph,” said Banks.

The tours visit Siena and Orvieta, the UNESCO rated Basilica of St Francis, the vineyards of Chianto Classico and more. The tour departs on Sept. 7, again next June and next September. Walking six to eight miles per day, the six night all-inclusive tour is priced from $ 4,195 per person.

The six-night Classic Tuscany Walk departs next June 7 and wanders seven to 12 miles per day and is priced from $ 4,295 per person double. Clients who take the two walks together next June receive a free day between them.

PHOTO: Wayfarers is offering a Slow Travel walking tour of Tuscany. (Courtesy of Wayfarers)

Wayfarers gets its walkers into homes and gardens otherwise closed to the public, uses accommodations with character and meets with local residents. Wayfarers offers the Slow Travel presentation of some 19 countries and 40 itineraries. The destinations include England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, New Zealand, Patagonia, Alaska, Colorado and the Southwestern USA.

Shoe leather isn’t the only medium for Slow Trave;, canvas can also get you there in a slower, more fulfilling way. Yacht cruising delivers the culture of the Mediterranean the way it was experienced by the very traders and mariners who cross-pollinated these ancient cultures. Tum-Tour Yachts charters luxury yachts for exploring the Greek Islands or the Aegean or Mediterranean coasts of Turkey.

The Vesta 1 Sevil is a traditional Turkish gulet ship made of Mahogany. The captain of the yacht has 20 years of experience, cook and sailors are also very experienced and professional in their field. The yacht explores the hidden bays of the Turquoise Coast calling at archeological areas and small ports.

Towns such as Fethiye, home of the ancient city of Telmessos with its caves, Hellenistic theatre, Tomb of Amyntas.

Another medium of Slow Travel, the bicycle, is at the center of an offer from the Villa le Barone, the four-star luxury hotel in Panzano, Chianti. The 28-room hotel Villa le Barone has been in the Della Robbia family since the 16th century. The villa is inviting cyclists to come to Tuscany this fall, and to consider participating in the EROICA (“heroic”) race, scheduled for Oct. 5.

The race is organized to suit riders of all levels, with the shortest route just 23.6 miles and an elevation gain of 2,296 feet. The full 46.6 mile route passes through Volpaia, close to Villa le Barone, and includes a stop at the Ristoro di Panzano, festive with Chianti wine, figs, salamis and more local culinary delights.

Located between Siena and Florence, Chianti is a landscape of rolling hills, vineyards, olive trees, woods, farmhouses, and castles.

“Whether travelers participate in the race, or simply cycle through the landscape, guests of Villa le Barone will be able to discover the passion for cycling that drives so many Italians, while also taking in the colors of autumn and the beauty of Chianti,” said Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, the villa’s co-proprietor.

The Eroica race began in 1997. The organizers call it a “poem written with a bicycle” as riders glide through the vineyards, forests of oak and chestnut, medieval villages and the Tuscan hills. Nearly 5,000 participants are expected this year with their vintage cycles, dating from the 1950s and 1960s.

From Oct. 1 to 31, Villa le Barone offers a special package for two nights for two people at €730 ($995) in a Historic Room, €680 in a Superior Room ($925), €620 ($845) in a Classic Room; rates include gratuities and VAT. They also include a bottle of Spumante; buffet breakfast; a five-course Tuscan dinner; wine tasting with a cellar visit; a detailed itinerary with suggestions for hikes, bicycle rides and automobile excursions; and bottle of Chianti Classico or extra virgin olive oil to take home or a copy of the guidebook "History, Nature, Traditions: Getting to know Chianti"

The villa’s swimming pool, tennis court, fitness trail, fitness room and terraces are set amongst large rose gardens, with views over the countryside. In the old winery, the restaurant serves traditional Tuscan food and Chianti wines. Villa Le Barone was built as a tower in the middle ages and was the seat of a Baronetcy. During the Renaissance, the tower was torn down and converted into a Villa, surrounded by its agricultural estate, where the Della Robbia family spent summers.

Barging is another way to do it slowly. European Waterways hotel barges cruise the majestic Canal Du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Southwestern France. None other than Thomas Jefferson studied the canal as a model for the development of America’s inland water way. On its passage to the sea, the canal passes by various festivals and visits many sites. When Jefferson made his study he said, “Of all the methods of traveling I have ever tried, this is the pleasantest.”

The recently refurbished eight-passenger barge Anjodi includes a crew, a sun deck and spa pool. The cruise offers a variety of excursions, such as a winery tour and wine tasting at the 14th century Chateau de Perdiguier, a visit to Narbonne, a Roman Mediterranean capital where the Visigoth monarchs once lived, and an excursion to Minerve, the ancient 12th century Cathar capital of Minervois, the world’s largest wine-growing region.