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

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

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Some areas aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor neighborhood lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The kinds of places where by locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, above stories, about everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a nice idea. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of speeding. Or possibly it’s just what takes place any time you last but not least begin to price time just as much as distance. In any event, far more travelers are getting joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we connect to culture and place, is part of that movement. His name has become connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful technique for seeing the earth.

So in the event you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that almost need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to complete, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to note the light. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

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

The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact tends to make a trip previous more time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals know how to delight in them properly — and that is to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view from the sting of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll come across church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel extra like living rooms.

If you get caught in a discussion with someone older, Allow it materialize. That’s the place the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the proper town,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a check out. Every watch features a breeze.

But it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing old in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals acquire their time listed here, and at some point, so would you.

Searching for additional context on why by doing this of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and vacation in Italy. Well worth the go through click here before you go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone measures and surprising murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live below. Writers go to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels extra just like a temper than the usual place.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this experience inside of a the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how areas similar to this supply a different sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a cost tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits those that detect. You wander the loop then stroll it all over again, seeing one thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — retaining the previous alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His web page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in every week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap images. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you ignore it by future Tuesday?

Journey such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh concept. Nevertheless it’s one particular we’re eventually able to hear.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.