Possible Clues:

• Smoker's means of identification comes over as being moderately slow
• Not so fast with stake
• An Italian writer in no hurry
• An Italian Poet that was a bit on the slow side?
• An Italian poet was a bit slow
• Rather slow before as well
• That's enough to make an Italian poet go slow
• An Italian poet that was moderately slow?
• Not so fast as 21 down - before it, too
• In time it gets to be a bit slow - before, too