Slow Travel in Italy: 7 Authentic Villages to Take a look at at a Peaceful Rate in 2025

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

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, more than everyday living.

In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs if you at last begin to benefit time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful way of seeing the whole world.

So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Sunshine.

There’s not much to complete, and that is precisely the issue. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip past extended within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour click here by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you have caught in a very discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a view. Each individual watch provides a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden 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 a lot more like a mood than the usual desired destination.

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

Forbes captured this experience in the current piece on gradual journey — how spots like this offer another sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards those that see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to homemade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, that is what makes it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Good
Below’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. But it’s one we’re finally all set to hear.

So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit continue to for some time. Enable Italy come to you.