Some places aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to genuinely savor area tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The sorts of sites wherever locals learn how to linger — about espresso, around stories, about lifetime.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a nice thought. It feels necessary. Possibly it’s a reaction to yrs of hurrying. Or possibly it’s just what transpires if you eventually begin to price time around distance. In either case, extra vacationers are finding joy in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested years Discovering how we connect to tradition and location, is a component of that movement. His identify is now linked to a deeper, more considerate way of looking at the planet.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re considering Italy — Here's seven places that almost demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated route, and once you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to complete, that's precisely the stage. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really tends to make a visit last extended inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes expand listed check here here, and locals learn how to appreciate them correctly — which can be to state, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll discover churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that experience extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught inside a dialogue with somebody more mature, Allow it materialize. That’s where the top travel tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was created to be “an ideal town,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a view. Each perspective features a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals consider their time in this article, and eventually, so do you.
In search of more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and vacation in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and surprising murals and shadows that change since the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a very current piece on slow vacation — how locations like this offer a distinct form of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular website streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits those who detect. You stroll the loop and afterwards stroll it once again, viewing a little something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Component of a preservation project — retaining the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His web page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s what precisely click here this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
Below’s the matter. You may see Italy in weekly. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a here completely new strategy. But it surely’s a person we’re lastly all set to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.