Sluggish Travel in Italy: 7 Reliable Villages to Discover in a Tranquil Pace in 2025

Some locations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy helps you to genuinely savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, more than existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you ultimately start to worth time up to length. In any event, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to perform, that is exactly the stage. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.

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

Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically can make a visit past longer in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady 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 edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel far more like living rooms.

If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person older, Permit it materialize. That’s where by the best vacation stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Just about every look at includes a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People acquire their time below, and eventually, so do you.

In search of 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 actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual desired destination.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this present a distinct kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards individuals that read more observe. You wander the loop then wander it again, observing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

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

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different concept. But it really’s one particular we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.