Some areas aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following noon. The forms of sites where by locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, more than stories, in excess of existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, additional vacationers are discovering joy in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to lifestyle and put, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful way of looking at the world.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with 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 last for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them appropriately — and that is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that really feel more like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped in the conversation with a person more mature, Allow it come about. That’s exactly where the most beneficial travel stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner incorporates a watch. Every view contains a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today choose their time right here, and sooner or later, so would you.
Seeking much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and sudden murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how areas like this provide a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nevertheless it benefits people that see. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once more, observing one thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this basically hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Section of a preservation project — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like read more this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy come to you.