Some locations aren’t created for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy enables you to truly savor nearby tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual speed.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up following noon. The sorts of locations the place locals understand how to linger — above coffee, about stories, in excess of lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels crucial. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s precisely what transpires after you lastly begin to worth time as much as distance. Either way, far more tourists are acquiring joy in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Discovering how we hook up with lifestyle and location, is part of that movement. His name happens to be connected to a further, additional thoughtful way of looking at the entire world.
So if you’re willing to go sluggish — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that practically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunshine.
There’s not A great deal to complete, that is exactly the place. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically would make a trip very last for a longer period within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco here (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to delight in them thoroughly — which can be to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.
If you receive stuck inside of a dialogue with someone older, Allow it transpire. That’s where by the ideal journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was created to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a check out. Each and every check out incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals just take their time listed here, and inevitably, so does one.
Searching for much more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and travel in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a modern piece on gradual travel — how destinations such as this offer you a special type of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, however it benefits those that notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it again, observing one thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are A part of a preservation task — keeping the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one particular. His web page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
Below’s the point. You may see Italy in every week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new strategy. But it’s a person we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.