Some sites aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy lets you truly savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following noon. The styles of areas exactly where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, over tales, in excess of life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels crucial. Maybe it’s a response to several years of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what transpires any time you last but not least begin to price time up to length. In any case, much more travelers are getting joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years Discovering how we hook up with society and spot, is an element of that motion. His identify happens to be related to a deeper, more thoughtful technique for seeing the globe.
So in the event you’re wanting to go sluggish — and also you’re wondering Italy — here are seven spots that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not Considerably to perform, and that is precisely the position. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed right in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of vacation sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really would make a visit previous extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to enjoy them thoroughly — which can be to say, slowly and gradually.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s well worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll find churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that really feel more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a very conversation with anyone more mature, Allow it occur. That’s exactly where the best vacation stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner has a look at. Each see incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People choose their time listed here, and at some point, so would you.
Trying to find a lot more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift as the day moves. Artists live here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience within a recent piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this present another kind of luxury. One which doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it rewards those who recognize. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, observing one thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way read more — in the “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the past alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a single. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy below, that's what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Clever
Below’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in each week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new idea. But it really’s one particular we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Permit Italy come to you.