Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, around existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice thought. It feels necessary. It's possible it’s a reaction to yrs of speeding. Or possibly it’s precisely what transpires any time you ultimately begin to price time just as much as length. In any case, extra travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we hook up with society and area, is an element of that motion. His name has become related to a deeper, much more considerate strategy for looking at the entire world.
So should you’re able to go sluggish — and you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not Significantly to try and do, which is precisely the position. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really helps make a trip last longer with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them properly — which can be to convey, slowly.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s well worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel much more like living rooms.
If you get trapped in a very discussion with anyone more mature, Allow it come about. That’s in which the most effective journey tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Each check out features a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women choose their time here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Looking for extra context on why in this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through before you decide to 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 surprising murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something below. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this present a unique style of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards those that observe. You walk the loop and then wander it all over again, looking at some thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation task — maintaining the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one particular. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the factor. check here You may see Italy in per week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new notion. However it’s one we’re lastly willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit still for quite a while. Allow Italy come to you.