Gradual Journey in Italy: seven Genuine Villages to Check out in a Tranquil Pace in 2025
Some locations aren’t created for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish right after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, more than tales, in excess of lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a good concept. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens when you finally start to worth time approximately length. In any case, much more travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we connect to society and position, is a component of that movement. His name happens to be associated with a further, far more thoughtful way of viewing the planet.
So for those who’re prepared to go slow — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not much to complete, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted ideal in the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in to the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last lengthier within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to state, little by little.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s value an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll locate church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you have caught inside a conversation with another person older, Permit it happen. That’s exactly where the best travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was made to be “an ideal town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a view. Every view has a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much read more aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Folks consider their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on sluggish travel — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who discover. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” 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 few of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.