Despite the speed of modern convenience, there is a still a place where pedestrians move at the pace of a Sunday afternoon. Where stubby pineapple palms cast shade on outdoor cafes, and candy striped awnings invite squinting pedestrians out of the Florida sun. That place is Fifth Avenue in Naples, but don’t let its laissez-faire ambience fool you. While the restored architecture and retro street lamps preserve a nearly century-old history, it’s now a cynosure of the luxury lifestyle, proffering everything from vintage wine to Valentino.

This is a story that begins on one million acres of land in Southwest Florida. Barron Gift Collier bought said amount of real estate between 1921 and 1923, becoming the largest landowner in Florida. Today, the county that bears Collier’s name has become the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country, second only to Las Vegas. Between 1990 and 2000 the county’s population swelled from roughly 152,000 to 251,000, a growth rate of 65 percent. At the end of 2005, that number was estimated at 329,400. Northeasterners and Midwesterners are coming in droves (an estimated 125,000 snowbirds drop in for the peak winter season); South Floridians on the east end of Alligator Alley are making day trips to take advantage of excellent shopping, culture and dining. Leading the charge is Naples, a once sleepy Gulf hamlet that now sits among the nation’s most elite zip codes. It’s no coincidence that Naples is home to an estimated 250 Fortune 500 CEOs, and not one but two Ritz-Carlton resorts.

Once a six-block sliver of grocery stores, pharmacies and hardware stores, Fifth Avenue has become Naples’ most lively and attractive destination — a versatile consumer district with postcard appeal. There are plenty of highlights, from contemporary art galleries to exotic restaurants to specialty stores. And you can see it all at a Sunday’s pace. It’s doubled in size, but that means there are still only 12 blocks to cover.

Visitors to the area may wish to stay in the heart of it all at the Inn on Fifth, an Old World respite complete with Mediterranean architectural touches, 87 deluxe guestrooms, full-service spa and heated pool with Jacuzzi and waterfall. Almost next door is the Hotel Escalante. The 10-room boutique villa is drenched in flora but is anything but garden variety. Both of these quaint brick and mortar establishments must now content with the new grand dame of Fifth Avenue hospitality: the expansive Naples Bay Resort, featuring 85 guestrooms with views of the Naples Bay Marina and Gordon River.

The distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the fresh catch menu isn’t very far, but don’t expect the Naples dining scene to rely on seafood. In fact, there are a bevy of options with a hearty predilection for red meat and pasta. Café Lurcat, with its dining room brightened by natural light and contemporary artwork, is Fifth Avenue’s most attractive eatery. The place is very comfortable serving the sea (raw oysters, tuna tartare, yellowtail snapper ceviche, etc.) but also knows its way around dry land: rack of lamb, pork tenderloin and prime beef tenderloin filet. If you’re having trouble choosing, Anissa Gurstel, the restaurant’s general manager, is glad to make a suggestion or two. BICE Ristorante makes good on the city’s Neopolitan moniker. A menu heavy on traditional Italian fare (veal scaloppini, spaghetti Bolognese) is saved from repetition by some quirky surprises (pressed and grilled Cornish hen). For the laid back crowd, McCabe’s and Paddy Murphy’s do the Irish pub thing with authenticity, all the way down to the mahogany bar rails imported from the homeland.

If culture is calling, Fifth Avenue is home to several reputed galleries. Just off Fifth Avenue on Ninth Street North is the Harmon-Meek Gallery, which has provided loan exhibitions to 76 museums across the country. Owners William Meek and wife Barbara are enjoying their 45th season in Naples. Jamali Fine Art exhibits work solely by the gallery’s namesake, a Winter Park-based artist whose gritty, textural canvases fall under the Mystical Expressionist banner. For concentrated browsing, head over to the famed Gallery Row on Broad Street. If yours is a more diverse cultural palate, the $91 million Philharmonic Center for the Arts complex is home to the Naples Museum of Art as well as the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.

When it comes to shopping, a trip on I-75 South is no longer necessary. Naples is challenging Miami as a consumer mecca, and Fifth Avenue provides plenty of unique diversions. Arabesque, a high-end stationary store, offers designer stationary, writing instruments and desk accessories. Originally from Cape Cod, decor haven Peach Tree Designs deals in fine furniture, decorative home accessories and interior design services. Founded by Bob and Judy Collins, Peach Tree is a 30-year-old family business; the Naples location opened 12 years ago with the help of daughter Stacie. Wine connoisseurs looking for something different are encouraged to stop by The Naples Winery, which offers wines made from Florida citrus juice. If your brand of shopping includes pounding the stilettos in search of the next must-have, there is Marissa Collections on Third Street South, home to Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Versace, Valentino and others. The nearby Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay is a freshly expanded shopping promenade that features Gucci, Coach, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Also worth noting is that Bobby Jones, a fashion boutique featuring apparel and accessories all branded with Jones frozen in his famous finish, will open it sixth retail location on Third Street in September.

As those Fortune 500 CEOs and local resident Rocco Mediate would attest, it would be a sin to not mention area golf. While it doesn’t have the sheer numbers of Orlando or Miami, Naples goes for quality not quantity. Take for example the Tournament Players Club at Treviso Bay, located 10 minutes inland from Fifth Avenue. Designed by Arthur Hills with Ryder Cup champion Hal Sutton serving as player consultant, Treviso Bay is a textbook stadium-style course that offers players a chance to feel like they’re battling it out for a space atop a PGA Tour leaderboard. It’s also a very young course — the grass is still growing on the back nine, which doesn’t open until November. La Playa Beach and Golf Resort boasts 18 championship holes by Bob Cupp, a layout accented with bulkheaded lakes, twisting mangroves and bougainvillea; it’s also home to a branch location of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, based at Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando. Lely Resort, only minutes from Fifth Avenue, offers three championship courses: The Classics by Gary Player, Flamingo Island by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and The Mustang by Lee Trevino.

Outside city limits there’s even more. The Rookery at Marco is a 7,100-yard layout (another Cupp design) that looks as if it were lifted from the Everglades like a puzzle piece. Hammock Bay Golf and County Club, WCI’s residential community between downtown Naples and Marco Island, is home to a 6,912-yard, par-72 layout by Jim Hardy and Peter Jacobsen.

Shopping, dining, art, culture and ambiance — historic Fifth Avenue has all the ingredients for an idyllic Sunday stroll.