If the first blast of daily stress has already hit home after the summer holidays, there is no better place than the world's original "Slow City" to learn the art of taking it easy.

Bra, the birthplace of the Slow movement, is a tiny town of pastel houses, elegant churches and cobbled streets in northern Italy. Life here, on this summer afternoon, would grind to a halt if it were to get any slower. An man cycles leisurely past a sunny Piazza, children enjoy huge ice-creams, shop owners shuffle out to greet passers-by.

No wonder that, like many of the 30,000 residents here, Carlo Petrini prefers to stay home during the holidays. "This is the best place to rest, why should I go anywhere else?" he laughs.

Getting back the flavour
The founder of the 'Slow Food' movement, Carlo Petrini was a journalist whose passion for food has evolved into an organisation to promote organic farming and biodiversity in 150 countries.

"It all started when I noticed that the "Pepperonata" [a local dish made from peppers] was losing its flavour. I found out that it was because our locally-grown peppers had been replaced for a completely tasteless variety imported from the Netherlands. And we were exporting flowers to Holland instead! Madness," he says.

Manifesto
Twenty years ago, Mr Petrini clubbed together with friends to create the "Slow Food Manifesto" in their crusade to save local agriculture and promote regional cuisine.

"As a society, we've become arrogant about food. Mass distribution of food has led to a real cultural genocide. We have no idea where our food comes from, farmers are out of balance with their environment, and quality has gone down. By cutting costs, we've sacrificed everything," he says.

Today, thousands of farmers from Mexico to Australia have gone back to their roots by growing crops traditional to their regions. "The idea is to sell everthing locally. Even in the US, where they had no farmers' markets two decades ago, there are over 2,000 today," adds Mr Petrini.

From food to lifestyle
Ten years ago, Slow food-lovers in Bra took the philosopy one step further by turning the town into Italy's first "CittaSlow" or Slow City. Traffic in the city centre has been reduced, the town is cleaned up and there are scores of local "Slow Food" restaurants, that use local produce and wines.

"Being a "slow city" is all about quality of life and keeping alive local traditions, shops and businesses," says Bra's Mayor Bruna Sibille. "You won't find a McDonalds here because fast food goes against everything we stand for. A sandwich made with the Bra sausage tastes a thousand times better than a Big Mac and doesn't wreck the environment!"

At the local meeting place Caffé Converso, residents drink espresso and chat about food. "We always talk about food, it's our hobby!" says 24-year-old Elena, who came back after living in New York. "I missed Bra!." Next to her, a friend is less enthusiastic. "It's a lovely place, but it's a bit too quiet. Slow living is not for everyone."