Some spots aren’t made for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can genuinely savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish right after noon. The kinds of areas wherever locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, about stories, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a nice plan. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to yrs of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what happens when you at last begin to price time just as much as length. Either way, far more tourists are locating joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title happens to be connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful strategy for observing the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, that's exactly the issue. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly will make a trip previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to delight in them effectively — and that is to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits good. You’ll obtain churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that feel additional like residing rooms.
If you will get trapped inside a conversation with an individual older, Permit it take place. That’s where the ideal vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was designed to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. click here Each individual corner has a perspective. Just about every check out includes a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons just take their time listed here, and sooner or later, so do you.
Searching for a lot more context on why in this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and vacation in Italy. Worth the examine 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 methods and sudden murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra like a temper than a location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a the latest piece on gradual travel — how destinations such as this present a distinct kind of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nevertheless it rewards individuals who recognize. You walk the loop and after that walk it once more, seeing a little something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Component of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
Here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in each week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new concept. But it really’s a person we’re eventually wanting to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.