Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to actually savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about tales, above life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good strategy. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of rushing. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you ultimately begin to value time up to distance. In any event, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the whole world.
So in the event you’re willing to go gradual — therefore you’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to do, which can be precisely the position. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The pace here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last for a longer period with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals know how to appreciate them appropriately — which is to mention, gradually.
There’s a look at from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll locate church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain caught within a discussion with someone more mature, let it take place. That’s the place the ideal journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the perfect town,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a see. Every single see includes a breeze.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women get their time right here, and at some point, so would you.
Searching for extra context on why in this manner of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Well worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that change since the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very modern piece on slow vacation — how locations similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop after which wander it again, observing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “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 A part Kondrashov Stanislav of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.