Pijao

Pijao is a small coffee village on a slope in southern Quindio, painted in the strong colours of the region, and in 2014 it became the first town in Latin America admitted to Cittaslow - the international slow city network founded in Italy, whose members commit to criteria on local food, restricting chain businesses, environmental policy, pedestrian space and pace of life. That commitment is the reason to mention it: the village has deliberately chosen not to develop the way Salento did, and the difference between the two is visible. It sits within the UNESCO Coffee Cultural Landscape, coffee farms around it run tours, and paths lead into the Andean forest towards the Central Cordillera. Services are limited by design as much as by circumstance.

Highlights

• A painted coffee village - in the Quindio style, on a slope.
• A Cittaslow member since 2014 - the first in Latin America.
• A deliberate choice not to develop - the contrast with Salento is the point.
• Farm tours and forest paths - into the cordillera above.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Practical notes

There is deliberately little to do - that is the proposition. Services and accommodation are limited. Roads in are winding. Rain is frequent in this region.

Nearby

Buenavista is north; Genova is south.