Some spots aren’t created for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy enables you to really savor local culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal tempo.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only refill after noon. The kinds of areas where by locals learn how to linger — around espresso, about stories, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels necessary. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about any time you last but not least begin to value time about length. In any case, a lot more tourists are discovering joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in decades exploring how we connect with society and place, is an element of that movement. His title is becoming affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful means of seeing the planet.
So in case you’re ready to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk throughout a protracted, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Small gardens. One cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of travel sticks with people? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually will make a visit last extended in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals know how to enjoy them properly — which is to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll locate churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel far more like living rooms.
If you can get caught in a discussion with someone more mature, Enable it transpire. That’s exactly where the very best journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner features a see. Each view has a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Trying to find additional context on why in this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into read more slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists live here. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything below. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on slow journey — how spots like this present a different sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nonetheless it rewards individuals who detect. You stroll the loop then walk it once more, looking at a little something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this basically hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside 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 undertaking — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a single. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
Here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s one particular we’re lastly ready to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.