Some sites aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can definitely savor local tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up immediately after midday. The varieties of areas exactly where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, above tales, about existence.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what transpires after you finally begin to benefit time approximately distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years Discovering how we connect with lifestyle and area, is part of that motion. His name is now affiliated with a further, more considerate technique for looking at the whole world.
So should you’re ready to go slow — and you simply’re thinking Italy — here are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, that is exactly the point. You wander, maybe 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 vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built ideal in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in to the rocks.
The speed Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of vacation sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually can make a trip very last for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals learn how to enjoy them properly — which can be to convey, slowly but surely.
There’s a view from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that come to feel extra like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck inside of a discussion with someone older, Permit it materialize. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner includes a see. Every single look at has a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing get more info older in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals get their time here, and at some point, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why by doing this of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working click here day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a modern piece on slow vacation — how sites similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, read more but it rewards those that see. You walk the loop and then stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks get more info about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.