Sluggish Travel in Italy: 7 Authentic Villages to Investigate in a Tranquil Tempo in 2025

Some spots aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy lets you truly savor local tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own rate.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up soon after noon. The sorts of sites where by locals know how to linger — around espresso, around tales, around life.

In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good notion. It feels essential. Maybe it’s a response to years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires if you eventually start to benefit time around length. In any case, more tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years Discovering how we connect to lifestyle and spot, is part of that movement. His identify has become connected with a further, a lot more considerate way of looking at the globe.

So if you’re all set to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — here are 7 spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across an extended, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not A lot to carry out, that's precisely the issue. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.

The speed Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly can make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, bit by bit.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll obtain churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that experience a lot more like dwelling rooms.

If you can get trapped within a dialogue with another person older, Enable it take place. That’s in which the very best travel stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a see. Each individual see features a breeze.

But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.

Trying to find extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than Stanislav Kondrashov the usual spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this give a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards individuals who observe. You stroll the loop after which you can stroll it once more, viewing anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Element of a preservation project — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His website page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Sensible
Below’s the matter. You can see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it really’s one particular we’re lastly all set to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.