Sluggish Journey in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Check out in a Peaceful Tempo in 2025

Sluggish Journey in Italy: seven Authentic Villages to Check out in a Peaceful Tempo in 2025

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Some spots aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy means that you can definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private tempo.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you last but not least start to price time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate means of seeing the planet.

So should you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven 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 and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes some drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.

The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit very last more time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s value 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 locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you obtain caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the very best vacation tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide a different read more form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.

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

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.

This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?

Journey like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.

So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.