In this post, we’re going to consider slow travel for your elopement. I have been an advocate of and involved in the Slow Movement for a while. I guess being half Italian, I was raised with the concept of “La Dolce Vita” embedded in my DNA.
Italians take time to enjoy their life in more ways than one.
But how does this relate to elopement weddings and photography? Let me explain with some life lessons from Italy.
With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, the constant bombardment of digital media and content, and the demand for unceasing productivity, it can be difficult to just sit back and enjoy the sweetness of life.
In Italian, this idea is called La Dolce Vita or “the sweet life.” By some definitions, its a life of self-indulgence and luxury, but the growing movements of Slow Travel, Slow Food, and Slow Photography are instead turning the eye toward the experience of the quality of life over
the quantity you experience.
Travel these days can feel like a race to the finish, seeing site after site after site, rushing from one museum to the next art gallery, all within a few days. The Slow Travel movement instead looks to shift the paradigm from seeing as many sights as possible to spending more time sitting and enjoy the art and culture of the area.
This Slow Travel experience often leads travelers away from the beaten path of tourism toward small, independent travel guides and see the area as the locals do.
TRAVEL PRE-COVID
Travel before Covid often was like a race to the finish, seeing site after site after site, rushing from one museum to the next art gallery, all within a few days. The Slow Travel movement instead looks to shift the paradigm from seeing as many sights as possible to spending more time sitting and enjoy the art and culture of the area.
This Slow Travel experience often leads travelers away from the beaten path of tourism toward small, independent travel guides and see the area as the locals do.
In Tuscany, slow travel tours offer the option to attend workshops with local artisans, like visiting a Chianti farm or go on a vineyard tour accompanied by lunch and a wine tasting.
These experiences encourage travelers to slow down and take a breath of the fresh air tourists often move too fast to catch.
SLOW FOOD – ITALIAN STYLE
For example, in the region of Umbria, the focus is instead on the experience of Slow Food.
Slow food is sweeping the area, emphasizing fresh farm-to-table local fla
vors meant to be enjoyed bite-by-bite.
In Spoleto, the abundance of truffles surrounding the city is incorporated into the local menus for travelers to appreciate.
SLOW PHOTOGRAPHY
When it comes to slow photography, the idea is translated into immersing yourself in the experience and taking your photos and breathe life into your images without moving on too quickly to the next.
I like to take this idea a step further by using analog methods to take my photos.
It forces me to slow down and focus on my work in a way that digital photography does not afford.
In addition, with analog photography, you don’t get to see the image immediately after snapping it, then make instant adjustments to capture the next.
Instead, I need to take the time to think of everything that could change the image to be sure when I develop the film later, it looks exactly how I wanted it to. The 19th-century theologist Lyman Abbott once wrote: “patience is passion tamed.”
SLOW DOWN and ENJOY LA DOLCE VITA
Slowing down to steep yourself in the moment allows you to “tame” your passions to not breeze through them and miss enjoying them.
When traveling to Italy, particularly to Tuscany or Umbria, be sure to take inspiration from the slow travel and slow food movements.
The beauty of slow photography in the Chianti region can be found in my book, Italy a Romantic Journey.
You can join me in my next Photography retreat in Tuscany where we will go deep in the Slow Movement Concept – it’s designed for all designers, photographers who want to learn and study Tuscany and analog photography.