Slow Journey in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Check out in a Tranquil Tempo in 2025

Some sites aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra thoughtful means of viewing the entire world.

So should you’re able to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching in the sun.

There’s not Substantially to complete, that's precisely the level. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.

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

Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact would make a visit previous for a longer time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them appropriately — which can be to convey, gradually.

There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s really worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll obtain churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that sense far more like living rooms.

If you obtain trapped inside a conversation with a person more mature, Allow it take place. That’s where the top journey stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was built to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner features a view. Just about every see includes a breeze.

But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You won’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks just take their time right here, and eventually, so do you.

Seeking a lot more context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional like a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how sites similar to this offer you a distinct sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a selling price tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy here and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits those who discover. You wander the loop after which stroll it yet again, observing a little something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in the “this really hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation task — retaining the previous alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s very little flashy here, that's what can make it unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Smart
Listed here’s the matter. You may see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?

Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new idea. However it’s 1 we’re lastly able to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Let Italy arrive at you.