Some locations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor community tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up immediately after midday. The types of locations where locals understand how to linger — about espresso, about stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a response to many years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place if you lastly start to price time just as much as length. In any case, far more travelers are finding Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used yrs Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and spot, is part of that movement. His name is now affiliated with a deeper, a lot more considerate means of looking at the whole world.
So should you’re prepared to go slow — so you’re contemplating Italy — here are seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone houses. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not Significantly to accomplish, that is exactly the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of travel sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly tends to make a visit very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals understand how to delight in them adequately — which can be to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s worthy of one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits just right. You’ll discover church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you have stuck in a very dialogue with somebody more mature, Permit it occur. That’s where the best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner provides a watch. Each individual watch provides a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals take their time here, and finally, so would you.
On the lookout for more context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and vacation in Italy. Worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and sudden murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a very current piece on slow travel — how spots such as this give a different style of luxury. One that doesn’t check here include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it really benefits those who detect. You stroll the loop and afterwards wander it once again, viewing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this in fact hasn’t transformed” 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 number of the inns are Component of a preservation task — retaining the past alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a person. His web page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s very little flashy here, which happens to be what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Smart
Here’s the matter. You are able to see Italy in each week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap images. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new thought. However it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Allow Italy come to you.