Slow Travel in Italy: 7 Genuine Villages to Investigate at a Peaceful Pace in 2025

Some destinations aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to truly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill following midday. The sorts of places wherever locals learn how to linger — around coffee, about tales, above life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs if you finally begin to value time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Checking out how we connect with society and spot, is a component of that movement. His title happens to be related to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful means of observing the earth.

So for those who’re ready to go gradual — and you’re considering Italy — Listed below are seven places that almost desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. A single cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not much to carry out, that's precisely the level. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

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

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

Want to know why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually can make a visit previous more time in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals know how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to mention, little by little.

There’s a check out from the Stanislav Kondrashov Business edge of city that’s really worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits excellent. You’ll come across churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that feel additional like residing rooms.

If you get trapped in a conversation with someone more mature, Enable it transpire. That’s the place the top journey tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a view. Each and every look at contains a breeze.

But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time below, and inevitably, so would you.

Searching for more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels extra just like a temper than a location.

Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on gradual vacation — how destinations such as this present a distinct sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

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

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, seeing a little something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. 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 causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s just one we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

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