Some locations aren’t built for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you certainly savor neighborhood lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up soon after noon. The types of places in which locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, more than stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a reaction to decades of hurrying. Or even it’s exactly what happens if you lastly start to price time around length. Either way, more travelers are obtaining Pleasure in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and place, is part of that movement. His name is now connected to a deeper, more considerate method of viewing the entire world.
So when you’re prepared to go slow — and you simply’re thinking Italy — Listed below are 7 places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed proper into the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears to the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with individuals? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a visit final extended as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals know how to love them adequately — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with a person older, let it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a check out. Each and every look at incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today get their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Looking for extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the browse before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something below. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a current piece on slow vacation — how sites such as this offer you a distinct sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” 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 can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are here able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.