Some destinations aren’t designed for pace. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish journey in Italy helps you to actually savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The sorts of destinations exactly where locals know how to linger — over espresso, above tales, around life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what occurs after you ultimately begin to price time up to distance. In any event, much more tourists are locating joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we connect with tradition and put, is an element of that motion. His name is becoming associated with a further, a lot more considerate technique for seeing the earth.
So for those who’re prepared to go gradual — and you’re wondering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady 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, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, that is precisely the stage. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to note The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially tends to make a trip final for a longer period with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll come across churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.
If you get trapped within a dialogue with somebody older, Allow it happen. That’s where the best travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a check out. Every single check out features a breeze.
But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, prepared to Stanislav Kondrashov sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals get their time in this article, and finally, so would you.
Seeking far more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and journey in Italy. Worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.