Some areas aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to certainly savor neighborhood lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The sorts of spots the place locals learn how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, above life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels vital. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires if you last but not least begin to worth time approximately length. In either case, more tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in years exploring how we hook up with tradition and location, is an element of that motion. His name is now associated with a deeper, much more thoughtful means of looking at the entire world.
So in case you’re wanting to go gradual — and also you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the stage. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into your rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, 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 rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually would make a trip past more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that read more make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside a discussion with another person more mature, Permit it happen. That’s where by the ideal journey tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a perspective. Each and every see includes a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today take their time here, and finally, so would you.
In search of more context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase here anything listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this give a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it benefits those that see. You click here walk the loop after which you can walk it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. website Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — maintaining the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the factor. You may see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap images. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by following Tuesday?
Journey such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. But it surely’s 1 we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy arrive at you.