Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, in excess of tales, above life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place any time you lastly start to value time up to distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and place, is an element of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of vacation sticks with folks? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically tends to make a visit previous lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that sense much more like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck in the conversation with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was built to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a view. Just about every perspective features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and inevitably, so do website you.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and travel in Italy. Definitely 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 techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every 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?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.