Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor local culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The forms of sites exactly where locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires if you finally start to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in many years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His name happens to be associated with a further, additional considerate method of seeing the world.
So if you’re willing to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them properly — and that is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today take their time here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Looking for a lot more context on why in this manner of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as the day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels a lot more just get more info like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the latest piece on slow vacation — how spots like this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and after that stroll it again, observing something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation job — keeping the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new concept. But it really’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.