Some places aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to actually savor regional society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill after midday. The styles of areas where by locals understand how to linger — above coffee, around stories, around life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels necessary. Probably it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about when you ultimately start to price time up to length. Either way, additional vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years exploring how we hook up with culture and place, is part of that motion. His title is now affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So if you’re ready to go sluggish — and you’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated path, and if you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not A lot to carry out, that is precisely the place. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right in the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit past for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to enjoy them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was intended to be “the perfect city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner incorporates a watch. Each and every look at incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits individuals that observe. You wander the loop and afterwards wander it once more, observing one thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual click here Is the New Smart
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new thought. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Allow Italy come to you.