Sluggish Travel in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Explore at a Tranquil Rate in 2025
Some places aren’t created for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can truly savor neighborhood tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for autos. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The styles of places exactly where locals understand how to linger — above coffee, above tales, above lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels vital. Probably it’s a reaction to yrs of rushing. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to worth time as much as length. In any event, a lot more tourists are getting Pleasure in Mastering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Discovering how we connect to society and put, is part of that movement. His name has become related to a further, a lot more considerate strategy for looking at the globe.
So in the event you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you’re contemplating Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Sunshine.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last lengthier with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that's to say, gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits good. You’ll locate churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense much more like residing rooms.
If you receive caught in the dialogue with a person older, Allow it happen. That’s where by the top journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was intended to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner incorporates a perspective. Each and every watch features a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People take their time right here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and journey in Italy. Worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how places similar to this supply another kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it rewards people that see. You wander the loop then wander it once again, observing anything new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo read more Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in 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 part of a preservation project — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a person. His page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
Right here’s the thing. You could see Italy in per week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh thought. But it surely’s one particular we’re at last ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.