Some sites aren’t made for pace. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to truly savor nearby culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The varieties of spots the place locals know how to linger — over espresso, above tales, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good notion. It feels important. It's possible it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s just what transpires whenever you at last start to worth time about distance. In any event, extra tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, much more considerate strategy for observing the globe.
So in case you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really makes a visit last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to enjoy them adequately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city check here that’s well worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that feel far more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get caught inside of a conversation with an individual more mature, Enable it occur. That’s the place the best travel stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was built to be “the perfect city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner includes a watch. Each individual perspective has a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People choose their time below, and at some point, so does one.
In search of a lot more context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who notice. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.