Eliminating architectural barriers and creating useful tools for those with mobility difficulties and for the elderly, ramps, elevators, equipped bathrooms. Updating websites and apps with intuitive interfaces that are also readable by the visually impaired.
The Cittaslow network, which brings together 90 Cities of Good Living in Italy and 300 worldwide, focuses on culture and art as tools for enhancing the territory. A circuit of excellence that every year sees the realization of projects that concretely improve the lives of citizens and of the planet.
To strengthen skills in the hospitality sector comes the innovative training project Cittaslow Academy for the Villages. Training staff to communicate using sign language, knowing how to manage a guide dog. And again creating sensory paths, using tactile panels. These are just some examples of inclusive and accessible tourism. Tourism for all means responding to the different needs of those who travel, those with mobility, cognitive, sensory, relational difficulties, specific dietary requirements, but also simply families dealing with strollers.
With the aging of the population, the demand for services for over-65 travelers also grows, the so-called Silver Economy. Comfort and aids for health and well-being, quality food, but also slow rhythms that allow immersion in the local culture are some of the expectations to be taken into account for this type of traveler.
There is also the trend of those who travel alone: a public mostly female and young, often in search of digital detox, who love to experiment and live adventures in total safety. Let us look at some ideas for Italy.
From the park to the waterfalls: example of an accessible destination of Chiavenna
The Cittaslow Chiavenna, since 2002 a City of Good Living, whose mayor Luca Della Bitta also holds, since 2025, the role of Coordinator of Cittaslow Italia. Sensitive to promoting accessibility of the urban environment and particularly attentive to removing architectural barriers, Chiavenna has managed over time to create synergies thanks to collaboration with local associations. A concrete example is given by the beautiful Cascate dell’Acquafraggia made accessible by a path suitable also for wheelchairs that reaches right under the natural spectacle. The Valchiavenna cycle path also passes by the Waterfalls, a 40 km route, naturally to be traveled on two wheels but also suitable for different means such as handbikes and wheelchairs. Another beautiful initiative is the Pratogiano Park which provides recreational attractions also suitable for more fragile children, natural and cultural paths for people with disabilities.
Cittaslow Academy for the Villages.
It is one of the projects of the network of the Cities of Good Living: Cittaslow Academy for the Villages, a training program available to smaller centers conceived by Cittaslow International. The objective is to train local stakeholders of every sector on the theme of sustainable and slow tourism. The aim is to strengthen skills and vision in the field of hospitality and territorial culture for the benefit of Municipalities that wish to invest in sustainable tourism, in the promotion of local heritage and in the quality of the experiences offered.
Cittaslow Tolfa, authentic slowness.
The first Cittaslow to join Cittaslow Academy for the Villages is the Municipal Administration of Tolfa. Since January 2026, the cycle of 12 meetings has begun, all free and open to the entire citizenship, first and foremost to sector operators. It is a way for the Lazio town to strengthen its tourist and cultural profile and to create virtuous networks within the local tourism supply chain.
Far from mass tourism, Tolfa has been able to preserve its historical and cultural heritage, with its characteristic dwellings and cobbled alleys, as well as artisanal traditions, including the ancient art of leather tanning. It is also part of the Cities of Oil circuit and organizes authentic events every year that enhance local products. To discover the Roman hill village, one can choose the package developed by Cittaslow International: three days of authentic slowness! The program includes 3 overnight stays in an organic agritourism facility with meals based on local products. Then walks in nature among ancient oaks, Mediterranean scrub and, with a bit of luck, birds of prey in flight, visit to the Civic Archaeological Museum and the historic center, guided excursions and picnic with homemade bread, cured meats, cheeses and seasonal fruit, visits to the farmers’ market and to farms. All starting from 280 euros per person.
In Cittaslow Polesine Zibello the Community Cooperative is born.
Enhancing historical heritage, increasing cultural participation of the local community, counteracting demographic exodus: these are the objectives of Cittaslow Polesine Zibello. How to rethink one’s future in “slow” terms in inland areas? The citizens of Polesine Zibello, on the right bank of the Po at the crossroads between the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Cremona, teach this, having taken the initiative to build their future, following the indications and Cittaslow values. Among the most relevant initiatives for urban redevelopment are a new nursery school and the recovery of historic buildings, the Pallavicino Theater, the San Carlo Theater of Pieveottoville, Palazzo Menta, which are the hubs of the new cultural, tourist and social development of the town.
Positive slowness, circular economy, resilience, sustainability and culture, social justice. These are some of the guiding principles of Cittaslow, an association that brings together small municipalities and towns, founded in 1999 in Orvieto. www.cittaslow.it