Slow Travel – The Beauty of Standing Still

Travel expert Amanda Hyde, who has written for Condé Nast Traveller and The Telegraph, explores the art of slow travel across southern Italy.

Slow travel may have become a global buzzword over the last few years, but for the Italians, it’s just an extension of a philosophy that’s as much a part of everyday life as espresso. Il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, is embedded in the country’s culture, and it’s an attitude that soon rubs off on visitors searching out ways to leave stress and tension far behind.

Don’t imagine that this is laziness. Instead, it’s a valuable opportunity to embrace life’s simple pleasures, appreciating the here and now and immersing yourself in the local surroundings, customs and culture. At Rocco Forte Hotels, that might be as simple as savouring a long lunch of just-caught fish accompanied by a blissful soundtrack of rolling waves at the Amare restaurant in Sicily’s Verdura Resort or inhaling the view of silvery trees and the shimmering Adriatic from Masseria Torre Maiza’s new Torre Suite, lost in the olive groves of the Puglian countryside.

It’s hard to talk about slow living (or, indeed, il dolce far niente) without giving some thought to food. Both philosophies favour searching out the freshest ingredients and simple recipes passed through the generations, and nowhere are they more in evidence than the bakeries of the southern town of Altamura, where whole families have adopted the profession. From the Masseria, you can visit one of the town’s best outlets or head into the hills for a wine-tasting, ending with a tour of the ancient city of Matera, with its spider web of ancient cave houses, shady piazzas and soaring churches.

Carefully-crafted experiences invite deeper immersion in the country’s landscapes and traditions, too. Amid the intoxicating buzz of Palermo, where Madonna statues stare down from ancient façades towards alleyways busy with mopeds and beeping cars, guests at Villa Igiea can take a journey into the history of the city’s matriarchs inspired by the formidable Donna Franca Floria.

Known as the ‘Queen of Palermo’, Donna Franca was a much-loved and respected figure in the heady days of Sicily’s Belle Epoque, who would no doubt appreciate this deep dive into local woman makers and artists keeping the island’s traditions alive. It finishes in the mimosa-scented 18th-century garden of the Duke of Serradifalco, lovingly restored by a modern princess. 

At Verdura, where slow living involves eating sun-ripened vegetables from the organic garden and breathing in the scent of orange blossom as you float in the spa’s outdoor thalassotherapy pools, you could spend the day with our canuscituri (“insider”) who knows every hilltop town and hidden village. No two days with him are the same, and you may find yourselves making cheese with a dairy farmer, immersing yourselves in the olive harvest or listening to tales that have crept down through the centuries.  

Our hotels across the country, including Verdura Resort, Masseria Torre Maiza and Villa Igiea, are perfect for embracing slow travel. Breathe, take it all in. Nowhere does ‘slowing down’ like Italy.