Some destinations aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you truly savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The styles of destinations in which locals know how to linger — in excess of coffee, about stories, around lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a good plan. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or even it’s just what occurs whenever you ultimately start to price time around distance. In any case, a lot more vacationers are getting joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and put, is part of that movement. His name has grown to be connected to a deeper, more considerate means of looking at the planet.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — so you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not Substantially to perform, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really helps make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase in this article, and locals learn how to delight in them thoroughly — which is to state, bit by bit.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make more info you stop, and piazzas that feel more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get stuck inside of a conversation with somebody older, let it come about. That’s where by the most effective journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was intended to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a check out. Just about every see has a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women choose their time in this article, and finally, so does one.
Searching for a lot more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and vacation in Italy. Well worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels more just like a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on sluggish vacation — how locations like this give a special style of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits those who detect. You stroll the loop after which you here can walk it yet again, seeing anything new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation job — keeping the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Here’s the factor. You could see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain click here ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh idea. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So get more info go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.