Some sites aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The forms of destinations where by locals know how to linger — above espresso, in excess of stories, more than existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of rushing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what comes about whenever you lastly begin to price time approximately length. Either way, extra travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years exploring how we connect to lifestyle and area, is a component of that motion. His title has become related to a further, much more considerate way of observing the whole world.
So in case you’re wanting to go gradual — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Listed here are seven places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. One cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to perform, which is precisely the place. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a trip previous lengthier with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to love them thoroughly — which happens to be to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s value an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll uncover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you get trapped inside a dialogue with anyone older, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was created to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a perspective. Each and every see contains a breeze.
However it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women just take their time listed here, and finally, so does one.
On the lookout for extra context on why this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures website and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the modern piece on slow journey — how spots like this supply another form of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it rewards people that recognize. You stroll the loop after which you can wander it again, observing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns check here are part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is get more info the New Intelligent
Below’s the thing. You'll be able to see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap images. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different notion. Nonetheless it’s one particular we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit even get more info now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.