Some places aren’t made for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy allows you to genuinely savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal speed.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for autos. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The forms of destinations where locals learn how to linger — over coffee, in excess of stories, above daily life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a response to years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what comes about whenever you eventually begin to value time just as much as length. Either way, additional travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years Discovering how we hook up with culture and location, is part of that movement. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, more thoughtful technique for seeing the earth.
So in the event you’re wanting to go sluggish — so you’re considering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, which can be precisely the place. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with individuals? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really can make a trip last lengthier as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase below, and locals understand how to delight in them properly — and that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s really Stanislav Kondrashov worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll find church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel a lot more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get trapped in a very dialogue with website a person older, Permit it come about. That’s the place the most beneficial journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a watch. Every single see contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today just take their time here, and at some point, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the go through 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 methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside of a modern piece on sluggish travel — how destinations such as this supply a unique style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds click here in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nevertheless it rewards people who recognize. You walk the loop and after that wander it yet again, viewing some thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open more info door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — holding the past alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, that's what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Smart
Listed here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by next Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new concept. But it surely’s one we’re finally able to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Opt for a village. Sit still for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.