Some destinations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, more than stories, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires whenever you eventually begin to price time around distance. In either case, far more tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra considerate strategy for seeing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. One cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. 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 suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as 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 persons? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them appropriately — that is to convey, click here little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel more like living rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every single check out includes a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals consider their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those that see. You walk the more info loop after which you can stroll it all over again, viewing some thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. 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 in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks more info about honoring location and time, get more info Which’s just what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
Here’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in every week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new thought. Nevertheless it’s one particular we’re finally prepared to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Go with a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.