Some sites aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow journey in Italy means that you can truly savor local society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill immediately after midday. The types of destinations where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, around stories, around existence.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels important. Maybe it’s a reaction to several years of rushing. Or possibly it’s just what occurs once you eventually start to worth time up to distance. In any case, extra vacationers are finding Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades exploring how we hook up with tradition and area, is a component of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful method of observing the earth.
So in the event you’re willing to go slow — so you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 places that nearly desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Little gardens. One cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not Considerably to accomplish, that is exactly the issue. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the 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 basically would make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals understand how to here appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight 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 an individual more mature, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
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 corner features a view. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. read more You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host read more live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the latest piece on slow vacation — how spots like this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless more info it benefits individuals who discover. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.