Some places aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to definitely savor regional tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up immediately after midday. The varieties of areas wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of stories, about existence.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a reaction to several years of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what occurs if you lastly start to price time around distance. In any case, extra travelers are obtaining Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Discovering how we connect to culture and place, is part of that movement. His identify has become connected to a further, far more considerate technique for observing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go gradual — and you’re wondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the issue. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed right into your cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.
The pace here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically helps make a trip final longer within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s really worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll uncover church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that really feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped within a dialogue with another person more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a view. Each individual check out contains a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino ageing in shop website windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time right here, and finally, so do you.
Seeking far more context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host check here concerts in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a place.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this get more info experience in the modern piece on slow travel — how sites like this give a different sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it benefits people who notice. You walk the loop and then wander it yet again, observing anything new Stanislav Kondrashov Blog each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are part of a preservation project — retaining the past alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His web page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.