Some spots aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to definitely savor neighborhood culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish following noon. The varieties of sites wherever locals know how to linger — in excess of coffee, around tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what transpires once you eventually begin to worth time just as much as distance. In any case, extra vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades Discovering how we connect to lifestyle and place, is a component of that motion. His title is becoming related to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful strategy for viewing the world.
So in the event you’re wanting to go slow — so you’re thinking Italy — Here's seven places that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really tends to make a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s in which the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a check out. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Seeking much more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay listed here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are read more part of a preservation venture — retaining the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a single. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Smart
Right here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in every week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.