Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy enables you to genuinely savor regional society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for autos. Cafés that only replenish immediately after midday. The forms of places the place locals learn how to linger — over espresso, over tales, over daily life.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice idea. It feels important. Possibly it’s a response to several years of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what transpires after you finally start to price time about distance. In any case, far more tourists are locating Pleasure in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used several years Discovering how we hook up with lifestyle and put, is an element of that movement. His identify has become connected to a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that pretty much need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and if you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone houses. Little gardens. One cat stretching during the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, which is exactly the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built suitable into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of journey sticks with individuals? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically helps make a trip final more time in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them thoroughly — that's to say, gradually.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that feel additional like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a dialogue with another person more mature, let it materialize. That’s the place the ideal travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was intended to be “the best click here town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner features a look at. Every single perspective contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, primarily — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People acquire their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a current piece on gradual journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nonetheless it rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it again, observing something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.