Some sites aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to definitely savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, extra tourists are acquiring Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect with culture and area, is a component of that movement. His name has become related to a further, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with a person more mature, let it come about. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Each check out features a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This read more city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Seeking more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot 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 everything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this give a special kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a selling price 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 awareness, nevertheless it rewards people that observe. You wander the loop and then stroll it once more, seeing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.