A Sunday in the Slow City of Sığacık

Seferihisar became Turkey's first Cittaslow district in 2009 and has been a weekend escape ever since. Its seaside quarter Sığacık makes the title concrete; a handful of colourful streets inside fort walls, a marina and a producers' market held on Sundays. The nearby ancient city of Teos completes the day.

Buses from İzmir to Seferihisar leave from Üçyol and Fahrettin Altay and take about an hour; from Seferihisar centre a minibus to Sığacık is ten minutes. By car, take the Seferihisar exit from the İzmir–Çeşme motorway, an hour in all.

If you go on a Sunday, be in Sığacık between 9 and 11 a.m. At the market inside and around the fort, sellers offer what they make themselves; village bread, homemade jam, olives, cheese, tarhana, and mandarins or artichokes in season. The Seferihisar mandarin is the district's emblem; fresh in winter, as jam and cologne in summer. Have breakfast right in the market, gözleme and homemade lemonade; if there is no table, the foot of the fort wall will do.

At midday walk the lanes inside the 16th-century Ottoman walls; the houses are restored, the doors painted, and the cats own the street. On the marina side, cafes and fish restaurants line up. For lunch, seafood and Aegean greens; the portions are generous, so order to share.

In the afternoon move on to Teos, two kilometres south of Sığacık; half an hour on foot through olive groves, five minutes by car. The largest Temple of Dionysus in Anatolia, a theatre and harbour remains can be explored almost without another visitor. An hour is enough; the midday sun is harsh in summer and there is no shade.

If time remains, Akkum beach is right beside Sığacık; shallow and windy, with surf schools. For calmer coves, try the Ürkmez and Doğanbey shores to the south.

The last buses from Seferihisar to İzmir run in the evening. Sunday evening traffic on the peninsula is heavy; leave before 5 p.m. and you will be comfortable.

On days other than Sunday Sığacık is far calmer, but there is no producers' market. In the Cittaslow spirit there are no chain stores in town; carry cash, as most small producers do not take cards. Autumn, with the mandarin harvest, is the tastiest season.