Gradual Travel in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Examine in a Peaceful Tempo in 2025

Some spots aren’t created for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about lifestyle.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

So for those who’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.

The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a trip past extended with 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 increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you have caught in a very dialogue with check here anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the very best vacation tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food 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 and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than the click here usual place.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nonetheless it benefits people that more info recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it yet again, observing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the read more Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.