Some destinations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor community lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of destinations exactly where locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, about stories, about 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 happens if you finally start to value time approximately distance. In any event, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested many years Checking out how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below 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 to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get 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 full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s really worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with a person older, Allow it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every single look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and eventually, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine 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 techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in click here a recent piece on gradual journey — how locations like this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation project — holding the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in every week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you ignore it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different notion. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Allow Italy come to you.