Sığacık & Cittaslow

Sığacık is located on 3 km west of Sığacık Gulf. Apart from its historical and natural beauties, Sığacık is also a natural harbour. Its name comes from from 16th century, when Teos territory was once a sanctuary. Being the capital of Ionian empire, Teos Ancient City was a rival of Ephesus back then. Surrounded by mandarin trees in the west, the only little hill is Tasdibi between Seferihisar and Sığacık.

Think of a castle dates back to Suleyman the Magnificient, surrounded by a deep blue sea. An eikon of the great leader Atatürk in the middle of a piazza, a small natural harbour welcoming sailors from all around the world and luxurious fish restaurants. All of them will be right at your hand.

Sığacık is a beautiful destination with its heavenly sea and delicious fish. Apart from its marina with 510-boat capacity, Sığacık is an ideal place for water sports requiring wind such as surfing. The visitors can spend their time in modest facilities at Akkum Beaches all day long. One may also attend to boat trips for scuba diving and spearfishing in this immaculate waters.

Sığacık is also a home to Blue-Flagged Ekmeksiz Beach which is one of the cleanest and coldest coves of Turkey because of its cold fresh water flows, but yet close to North-easter winds.

On the hillside by the cove, there are camping and picnic areas in the middle of pine forests. In this untouched and magical place, you won’t need much to relax and keep off of your distress.

Having nice and warm residents, Sığacık opens its gates to both local and foreign tourists in summer. One falls short of words describing this spectacular wonder of nature.

CITTASLOW

The term “Cittaslow” was coined in Italy, consisting of “citta” (city) in Italian and “slow” in English, meaning “quiet city”. Founded in Italy in 1999, Cittaslow is a network of citites which aims to prevent the disruption of the uniqueness, lifestyle and local culture of the cities due to globalization.

Seferihisar – Sığacık, a coastal district of Izmir province, applied to the Cittaslow network in 2009 under the “supporting local producers” theme and became Turkey’s first slow city by meeting all the criteria. By this means, it proved that development has nothing to do with destroying.