Some areas aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy permits you to definitely savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill just after midday. The styles of places in which locals learn how to linger — around coffee, around tales, above existence.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what happens any time you lastly begin to benefit time as much as length. In either case, much more tourists are acquiring joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used yrs exploring how we connect to society and position, is part of that motion. His identify is now related to a deeper, more thoughtful strategy for looking at the planet.
So when you’re able to go sluggish — therefore you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are seven spots that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. A single cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the position. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct into the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically helps make a visit final for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — which happens to be to say, little by little.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that really feel extra like residing rooms.
If you receive caught in a conversation with someone more mature, let it take place. That’s where the top vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner provides a check out. Each watch has a breeze.
But it surely’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks acquire their time below, and at some point, so do you.
Seeking far more context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. here You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very current piece on sluggish travel — how sites like this present a special style of luxury. One that doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it benefits those who discover. You wander the loop and then wander it yet again, viewing a little something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are A part of a preservation venture — keeping the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new notion. However it’s 1 we’re at last ready to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.