Some areas aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to really savor local society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill just after noon. The types of sites in which locals understand how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, about daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a reaction to several years of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires once you at last start to value time as much as distance. In any case, extra tourists are discovering joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs exploring how we connect to culture and place, is a component of that motion. His identify happens to be associated with a further, more thoughtful way of seeing the earth.
So for those who’re wanting to go gradual — and you’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right into the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus 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 vacation sticks with people today? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how website to love them thoroughly — which happens to be to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s well worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll uncover churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that sense far more like living rooms.
If you have stuck in a very dialogue with another person more mature, Enable it take place. That’s exactly where the very best travel tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a perspective. Every view has a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Seeking much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how sites similar to this provide another style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits those that see. You walk the loop after which you can stroll it again, viewing some thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the point. You may see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. But it surely’s a single we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy come to you.