Some destinations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy helps you to really savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up soon after midday. The styles of places the place locals know how to linger — above coffee, about stories, about life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about after you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. Either way, far more vacationers are locating joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years exploring how we hook up with society and area, is a component of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful method of looking at the world.
So for those who’re all set to go gradual — therefore you’re wondering Italy — Here's seven spots that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to do, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The pace Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact would make a visit last lengthier with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to delight in them effectively — which can be to say, little by little.
There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits good. You’ll locate churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that feel more like residing rooms.
If you can get stuck within a discussion with another person more mature, let it come about. That’s where by the very best travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse 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 listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper 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 Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on sluggish travel — how locations similar to this present a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits people who see. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what can here make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.