Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The types of sites where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, about tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you finally start to worth time up to length. In any case, more travelers are locating joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is an element of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.
So should you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last more time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the edge of city that’s well worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you can get trapped in a dialogue with another person older, let it take place. That’s the place the most effective journey tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single see features a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which stroll it again, viewing a little something new each time — get more info 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 reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” 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 A part of a preservation task — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.