Some spots aren’t produced for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you certainly savor regional culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only refill after midday. The sorts of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, around stories, about daily life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a reaction to decades of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you ultimately start to value time approximately distance. In any case, more vacationers are obtaining joy in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in a long time exploring how we hook up with culture and place, is an element of that movement. His title has become affiliated with a further, a lot more thoughtful way of seeing the entire world.
So should you’re wanting to go gradual — and also you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not A great deal to do, that's exactly the point. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted suitable into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically makes a trip past more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes mature here, and locals know how check here to take pleasure in them adequately — which can be to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll locate church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you have caught in the dialogue with a person more mature, Permit it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial travel stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was built to be “the best city,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a view. Each and every view features a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time listed here, and sooner or later, so do you.
Trying to find far more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Dwell here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than Kondrashov Stanislav a desired destination.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion check here in the recent piece on sluggish vacation — how sites like this give another style of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nonetheless it rewards individuals that discover. You stroll the loop then wander it all over again, observing something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest more info facet. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one particular. His site talks about honoring location and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the detail. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You may strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new strategy. But it surely’s one particular we’re at last willing to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.