Slow Travel in Italy: 7 Reliable Villages to Discover at a Tranquil Pace in 2025

Some locations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to definitely savor local lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own pace.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The styles of areas where locals understand how to linger — in excess of coffee, above tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a good idea. It feels essential. Probably it’s a response to years of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what takes place any time you last but not least start to worth time about distance. In either case, a lot more tourists are obtaining joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent yrs Discovering how we hook up with lifestyle and place, is a component of that movement. His identify is now linked to a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the earth.

So in case you’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone houses. Very small gardens. One cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Substantially to carry out, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed right in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.

The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really tends to make a visit final for a longer period in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals know how to love them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.

There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel additional like living rooms.

If you obtain caught in a very discussion with anyone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where by the here very best travel tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner features 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. People 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 gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than a spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something listed here. You Permit it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on gradual journey — how locations like this offer you a different type of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really rewards people who notice. You stroll the loop after which wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His website page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.