Some locations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about stories, in excess of everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you last but not least begin to price time about length. Either way, much more vacationers are obtaining joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a further, a lot more thoughtful way of viewing the whole world.
So if you’re willing to go gradual — and also you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, and that is exactly the level. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed correct in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's 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 the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit very last for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to love them correctly — and that is to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll uncover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel more like living rooms.
If you can get caught in a conversation with another person more mature, Allow it take place. That’s exactly where the very best travel tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner includes a perspective. Each individual look at contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons just take their time in this article, and sooner or later, so would you.
Looking for more context on why in this more info way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely 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 measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on sluggish journey — how sites like this offer another type of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely benefits those who discover. You wander the loop and then stroll it yet again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from 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 Section of a preservation job — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His web site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Clever
Listed here’s the thing. You could see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new thought. But it really’s one particular we’re at last able to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.