Some places aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for autos. Cafés that only refill following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs if you finally start to value time approximately distance. In either case, much more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become related to a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not much to try and do, that is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that really feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you can get caught inside a dialogue with somebody more mature, Permit it happen. That’s exactly where the most beneficial travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was created to be “the right city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a look at. Every single look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People just take their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit different in here Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely benefits people that discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some 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 one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.