Slow Living: why Puglia is the perfect place to take a break
Sprawling traffic, deadlines to meet, overwhelming responsibilities, and mandatory commitments. If you’ve felt a weight on your chest and the urge to close some tasks while reading, this is the article for you.
There is a different way to live your days, without haste, without anxiety, without the pressure of everyday life: slow living.
Others call it slow living and it’s a philosophy of life –or sometimes just moments of peace– where you can enjoy what’s going on around you. No patterns, no superstructures, no intrusive thoughts or the need for very detailed programs. Just being in one place, but really being there.
From this point of view, we can say that Puglia can be considered a bit’ the home of slow living since the concept was made famous especially on social media (with the Instagram profile @vita____ lenta) in Conversano by designer Gianvito Fanelli.
The Apulian landscapes with their barren cliffs, narrow streets in the historic centers animated by the elderly ladies, are the natural habitat of this lifestyle.
Slow life in Puglia
Where can this phantom slow life be practiced? Everywhere and nowhere! This is because slow living isn’t exactly a concept: is a state of mind.
Let’s take an example. Sitting on the terrace in the first sun of spring can be a slow life. Relaxing on the beach with a good book is definitely a slow life. A game of trumps with the village elders is obviously a slow life (even if it depends on the stakes). Trekking on the Murgia, a stroll through the historic center of a small village, saying good morning to the lady hanging out her clothes downstairs, drinking a coffee made with mocha.
It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, it matters how you do it and how it feels.
If it makes you feel at peace with the world, forget your daily worries, throw your cell phone in your bag, and finally live (but for real), congratulations: you’ve found your very personal slow lifestyle.
Some places that help you slow down
True, slow living can be practiced anywhere, but it’s undeniable that there are places where the landscape, the sounds, and even the way people live seem to invite you to slow down.
Everyone has their own place of the heart. The one where he always comes back, the one where time seems to pass a little more slowly. If you’re looking for new corners of Puglia where you can rediscover that sense of peace, these are some of our favorites.
Conversano
If slow life had a capital, it would probably be Conversano. Not only because Gianvito Fanelli, creator of the famous Instagram page Vita Lenta, was born here, but because just a stroll through the historic center is enough to understand where that inspiration comes from.
There’s no need to have a specific goal here. You can get lost in the alleys of the village, stop for coffee in the square, watch the people chatting in front of your doors, and be guided by curiosity. These are those places where seemingly nothing happens… and that’s precisely why everything happens.
The Valle d’Itria
The Valle d’Itria is one of those places that seems designed to forget the clock.
The streets wind through centuries-old olive trees, dry stone walls, and green farmhouses, while villages like Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, and Ceglie Messapica still retain an authentic rhythm.
Here, the day can begin with a stroll through the white streets, continue with a leisurely lunch, and conclude with watching the sun set over the countryside. No tight schedule, no race from one stage to the next: just the pleasure of being surprised.
Torre a Mare
Sometimes you don’t even need to get too far from the city.
A few minutes from the center of Bari is Torre a Mare, a small seaside village where the weather still seems to follow that of the port. In the morning, the fishermen return with their catch of the day, the seafront slowly fills with people strolling, and the sound of the waves replaces that of traffic.
It’s the perfect place for a sea-view aperitif, a sunset stroll, or just to sit on the pier and do absolutely nothing. Which, after all, is one of the most difficult exercises in slow living.
Bosco delle Pianelle
Not all slow life passes through the villages.
If your way of slowing down means getting away from notifications, horns, and screens, the Bosco delle Pianelle is a small oasis in the heart of the Murgia. The paths pass through oak trees, ash trees and silent clearings where the only noise is that of the wind among the trees.
Walking here doesn’t mean reaching a destination. It means indulging in the luxury of going slowly.
A stay between comfort and slow living
The nice thing is that you don’t have to choose between the sea, the villages or the hinterland. With a stay in Bari, you can easily reach many of the region’s most authentic destinations and build each day by simply your own pace.
If one day you feel like getting lost in the alleys of a village and the next you want to relax on the beach, you can also check out our article dedicated to the 5 best beaches in Bari and the surrounding area.
Otherwise, there’s only one piece of advice: leave some room for improvisation. True slow living often begins just when you stop following a program.
With InBlu Aparthotel, you have a convenient and central starting point for experiencing Bari and setting off to discover a more authentic Puglia, a place to start every day without rushing and return every evening with the feeling of having truly experienced the area.