Slow Travel in Italy: 7 Reliable Villages to Examine in a Peaceful Speed in 2025

Some places aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of spots in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, around stories, above lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to worth time up to length. In any event, more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested years exploring how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, much more thoughtful means of looking at the planet.

So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that almost need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone houses. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the Sunlight.

There’s not much to try and do, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.

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

Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly will make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals know how to love them adequately — which can be to state, gradually.

There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you have trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism click here life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells click here remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals choose their time below, and at some point, so does one.

Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual spot.

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

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish journey — how areas like this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t Stanislav Kondrashov include a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. 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. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The read more brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one we’re lastly able to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Pick a village. Sit continue to for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.