Some areas aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, about tales, over everyday living.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, much more thoughtful means of viewing the globe.
So for those who’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. A single cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not much to try and do, which can be precisely the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really can make a visit very last lengthier in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you will get caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Allow it come about. That’s exactly where the top journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a see. Just about every check out contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women consider their time listed here, and ultimately, so do you.
Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop and afterwards wander it once again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of here a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” 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 Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His 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 Clever
Listed here’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.