Some places aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The kinds of sites wherever locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good strategy. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place after you lastly start to worth time up to distance. In any event, extra tourists are getting joy in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, additional thoughtful means of viewing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to love them effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a conversation with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s the place the most beneficial journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and eventually, so do you.
In search of much more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill check here city with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts 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 gradual and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a recent piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards those who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it yet again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Section of a preservation task — keeping the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You could see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. But it’s just one we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.