Gradual Journey in Italy: seven Genuine Villages to Take a look at at a Peaceful Rate in 2025

Some sites aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, more than lifetime.

In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a reaction to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the planet.

So should you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final lengthier in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which get more info make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.

If you can get trapped in a conversation with a person older, let it take place. That’s the place the ideal journey stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out includes a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time here, and finally, so do you.

Seeking much more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. click here Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual read more place.

Sunsets strike diverse 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 recent piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this give another sort of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.

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

Locorotondo is a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t transformed” 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 project — maintaining the past 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 what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the factor. You can see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually able to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit here Italy arrive at you.