Slow Travel in Italy: 7 Reliable Villages to Explore at a Tranquil Rate in 2025

Some spots aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor area society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, above life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or maybe it’s just what occurs any time you lastly start to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with society and put, is a component of that movement. His name has become related to a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the whole world.

So if you’re ready to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not A great deal to carry out, which can be precisely the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted appropriate in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into your rocks.

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

Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really tends to make a trip previous for a longer period in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you will get stuck within a discussion with an individual older, Allow it take place. That’s the place the ideal journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features here a view. Each individual watch incorporates 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 anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time listed here, and finally, so do you.

In search of more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual vacation spot.

Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You let it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation in a very new piece on gradual vacation — how places such as this give a distinct type of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a cost tag.

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

Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it benefits individuals that observe. You walk the loop after which walk it all over again, observing something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — within a “this actually hasn’t changed” 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 number of the inns are Component of a preservation venture — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this just one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new strategy. But it really’s just one we’re last but not least willing to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Opt for a village. Sit however for a while. Permit Italy come to you.