Sluggish Travel in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Discover in a Peaceful Speed in 2025

Some destinations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about tales, above life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels essential. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect with culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.

So in the event you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female 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, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.

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

Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last lengthier in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to love them effectively — which is to mention, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel additional like dwelling rooms.

If you can get trapped in a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the very best vacation stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner incorporates a check out. Each view contains a breeze.

But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time here, and finally, so does one.

Seeking more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals check here and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

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

Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new idea. But it surely’s 1 we’re at last able to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.