Some destinations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up immediately after midday. The kinds of areas where by locals learn how to linger — over espresso, around tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels important. Maybe it’s a response to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, far more thoughtful method of looking at the whole world.
So in case you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous for a longer time in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals understand how to appreciate them correctly — which happens to be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits good. You’ll uncover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that sense additional like living rooms.
If you receive caught in a very discussion with another person older, Permit it occur. That’s where by the most beneficial travel stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a look at. Each individual view features a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for far more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists live in this article. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more just like a temper than a destination.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything listed here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very recent piece on slow vacation — how locations such as this offer you another kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it really rewards people that detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a very “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — maintaining the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one. His web page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s very little flashy listed here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap images. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by upcoming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new concept. But it’s one we’re at last wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit however website for a while. Allow Italy come to you.