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

Some spots aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify has become related to a further, additional considerate technique for observing the earth.

So when you’re willing to go slow — and you’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that almost desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not Considerably to do, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

The speed here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them correctly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll locate church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.

If you can get trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a view. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today choose their time here, and inevitably, so do you.

In search of additional context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foods and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more just like a temper than a destination.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything listed here. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this experience in a very modern piece on gradual journey — how areas like this supply a special kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely rewards individuals that notice. You wander the loop after which walk it all over again, observing one thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. get more info Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. However it’s a person we’re ultimately all set to hear.

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