Some places aren’t made for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy permits you to certainly savor regional lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for cars. Cafés that only replenish following midday. The types of locations exactly where locals understand how to linger — above espresso, about tales, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant plan. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a reaction to yrs of rushing. Or possibly it’s just what comes about once you ultimately start to worth time as much as length. In any case, much more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended years Discovering how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His identify happens to be connected with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful method of seeing the world.
So if you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Here's 7 spots that basically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. One cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, which can be exactly the position. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right in the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into your rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them properly — that is to say, little by little.
There’s a check out from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that truly feel much more like residing rooms.
If you receive caught in a conversation with anyone more mature, Enable it come about. That’s exactly where the most beneficial travel stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a see. Every view contains a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks consider their time in this article, and eventually, so would you.
Trying to find more context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler click here dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the examine 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 measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels much more similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something in this article. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a new piece on sluggish vacation — how spots like this present a distinct type of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards individuals that discover. You walk the loop and then wander it once more, viewing a little something new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a very “this essentially hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Component of a preservation undertaking — keeping the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a person. His webpage talks about honoring position and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s very little flashy here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the point. You may see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re lastly ready to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.