Some destinations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy permits you to actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of destinations wherever locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, more than stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires whenever you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful technique for looking at the earth.
So when you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight 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 caught inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the top journey tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner Stanislav Kondrashov Blog has a perspective. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and at some point, so would you.
Searching for extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions 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 live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a 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 within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this offer you a special type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop then wander it once more, looking check here at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade 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 “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” 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 check here the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain check here ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.