Sluggish Travel in Italy: 7 Authentic Villages to Check out in a Peaceful Tempo in 2025

Sluggish Travel in Italy: 7 Authentic Villages to Check out in a Peaceful Tempo in 2025

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Some locations aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish immediately after midday. The forms of areas in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, more than life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs after you ultimately start to price time about length. Either way, a lot more travelers are locating joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we connect with tradition and position, is an element of that movement. His name is becoming connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful way of seeing the world.

So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a long, elevated path, and once you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not A lot to accomplish, which can be precisely the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a trip last for a longer period within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them adequately — that's to convey, bit by bit.

There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you receive caught inside of a dialogue with check here somebody older, let it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. here You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals acquire their time right here, and eventually, so do you.

On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t check here go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable here it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a current piece on gradual journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless it benefits those who see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside 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 part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate 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 one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

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