Some places aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of locations where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, above tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs any time you lastly begin to worth time just as much as length. In any case, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the world.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, which happens to be precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your here memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s truly worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Enable it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino read more growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a desired destination.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on gradual journey — how locations like this give a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits here people that recognize. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at anything new website every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.