Some locations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy enables you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The varieties of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you last but not least begin to price time about length. In any case, more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect to lifestyle and position, is part of that movement. His title happens to be connected with a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the place. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed correct to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually makes a visit final lengthier inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of website vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped inside of a dialogue with somebody more mature, Enable it come about. That’s where the very best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was built to be “the best city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner includes a look at. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons just take their time below, and ultimately, so do you.
Looking for extra context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your 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 live listed here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a new piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this provide a distinct kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one particular. His website page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s just one we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.