Seferihisar, a charming district of Izmir, is Türkiye's first Citta Slow, that is, slow city. The Citta Slow concept, comes from the Italian word "citta," meaning city, and the English word "slow." With the opening of the first McDonald's restaurant in Rome in 1982, the Citta Slow movement, which is a part of the slow food movement against fast food, aims to prevent rapidly globalizing cities from becoming similar to each other.

This association, which was founded in Italy in 1999, also aims to create cities where people shop from tradespeople, greengrocers and grocery stores instead of large shopping malls, where traditions and customs, and crafts are protected, and a stress-free, healthy and peaceful life is maintained.

Seferihisar received the title of Citta Slow in 2009 by proving that it complies with the 70 criteria determined by the International Citta Slow Association, which expresses similar goals.

Therefore, if you are looking for such a place of peace, I would like to introduce you to Seferihisar, a registered settlement in this regard.

Carrying the footprints of travelers from the past to the present, Seferihisar still offers wonderful materials to travelers today. It is worth seeing – with its orchards, olive groves, traces of past civilizations and streets leading to the sea – where delicious satsuma tangerines grow.

Now, firstly I want to take you to Sığacık, which we can actually call a seaside town in the district of Seferihisar.

Sığacık, which is 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Izmir city center and 7 kilometers from Seferihisar district center, carries the traces of the Citta Slow movement to the end.

Sığacık carries the traces of history as well with its vibrant streets, colorful short-story houses, the local market where handmade products are sold, and the cute hostels you can choose to stay in.

At the same time, if you come to Sığacık in the summer season, you can immerse yourself in the turquoise waters of the Aegean at Akkum, Akarca, Ekmeksiz and Altınköy Beaches and have a wonderful summer holiday.

Ancient city of Teos

You can visit the ancient city of Teos before getting lost in the colorful streets of Sığacık, which has hosted many civilizations in history. This ancient city surrounded by olive trees is the most important historical value of Sığacık.

The ancient city, whose history dates back to 2,000 B.C., is one of the 12 Ionian cities which formed the Ionian League.

There is also an amphitheater in the ancient city where concerts are still held.

Sığacık Castle

The castle, which is estimated to have been built during the Seljuk period, has been damaged many times due to earthquakes. When the Ottoman Empire ruled over here, the castle was rebuilt with stones carried from the ruins of the ancient city of Teos by the order of Sultan Suleiman I.

Until 30 years ago, it had three wooden doors with two guards at its head. In the evening, the gates were closed and the guards stood by the gates. Unfortunately, today, there is no information about the whereabouts of these doors. Finally, I recommend you to go to the marina and look at the castle from afar.

Sığacık Bazaar

The Slow Food philosophy, on which the Citta Slow movement is based, is fully felt in the producer bazaar established in Kaleiçi on Sundays in Sığacık. Non-local products are never accepted to this market. In this bazaar, it is aimed that the products grown locally in the region, which is one of the criteria of being a Citta Slow city, reach the consumer directly from the producer. At the same time, the use of nylon bags is prohibited in the market, where the use of net and paper bags is encouraged.

You can find organic vegetables, fruits, Aegean herbs, olive oil wraps, hand-rolled pastries, baklavas, a variety of pastries, handmade souvenirs, jewelry and more produced in the villages of Seferihisar in this market.

I would definitely recommend coming to this market hungry because you should definitely taste the wonderful food and drinks that come out of the skillful hands of the women living here.

You should definitely visit this producer's market when you come to Sığacık on a Sunday, embrace the warm Aegean people and experience the Slow Food atmosphere.

Kaleiçi streets

Daily life in Sığacık continues inside the castle. The colorful streets you visit, the producers' market where you shop, the cute hostel you will stay in, are all inside the historical castle boundaries.

You will feel like being on a movie set in the streets inside the castle, which, incidentally, has been hosting TV series and movies lately.

Some of the stone houses with white bay windows are decorated with colorful wooden shutters, and some of them have colorful flowers hanging from their windows. The doors of the houses in the castle, which has a riot of colors on each street, are also very interesting and colorful. Some of the stone houses are used as souvenir shops and some as hostels. I guess I don't even need to say that there are no star luxury hotels in Sığacık. Here, you can stay in hotels that serve in the style of boutique hotels.

If you stay in Sığacık on a date between September and November, you may come across the tangerine festival to promote the local tangerines grown here. You can also participate in fun competitions at this festival, which also includes street festivities and concerts.

In addition, while you are here, you should taste seafood and different dishes made from artichokes.

I guess I haven't touched on the side of Sığacık that dominates people's emotions until now. The first moment I stepped into the streets of Sığacık, I realized how slow, how calm and peaceful this place really is.

On the first street I stepped into, there were kittens stretched out on chairs in a cafe with a blue-painted wooden table. I approached them. I stroked their heads. They couldn't even raise their heads from laziness and look at me. However, my gaze with the smallest one is still in front of my eyes. It managed to open only one eye slightly and seemed to say, "You are where you have been searching," then closed his eyes softly and continued to sleep.

At that moment, I was sure that I was in the right place, this place was really slow and Sığacık was painting a person's heart a rosy color.

Even as I write these lines, I feel the joy of life and the peace that this secret paradise hidden inside the walls of a castle brings to me. This beautiful seaside town, which relaxed my soul even if it was only for a day, slowed me down and made a day feel like a week, is looking forward to welcoming those who want to paint their hearts pink.