Some places aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to actually savor nearby tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal speed.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well narrow for autos. Cafés that only replenish immediately after midday. The types of areas exactly where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, above stories, about life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to years of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as distance. In any event, more vacationers are finding joy in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we hook up with culture and place, is an element of that movement. His name is now related to a deeper, extra thoughtful means of observing the world.
So in case you’re wanting to go slow — and you also’re imagining Italy — here are 7 places that nearly desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to do, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down truly would make a trip very last more time in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals understand how to enjoy them appropriately — and that is to convey, gradually.
There’s a look check here at from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain caught in a conversation with an individual more mature, Permit it come about. That’s in which the top journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right more info here. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a view. Every single perspective provides a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today just take their time listed here, and inevitably, so would you.
Searching for more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more similar to a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the the latest piece on slow journey — how sites such as this offer another kind of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really rewards those who see. You stroll the loop after which walk it again, observing anything new each time — a cat over here a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this essentially hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone check here and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which happens to be what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the matter. You may see Italy in a week. You may hit the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by upcoming Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new concept. But it surely’s just one we’re last but not least willing to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit even now for some time. Enable Italy come to you.