Some destinations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Slow journey in Italy permits you to genuinely savor regional culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, over lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of rushing. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to price time as much as length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and also you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last more time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — that's to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance read more idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a watch. Every single check out features a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons choose their time here, and finally, so would you.
In search of much more context on why by doing this of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and sudden murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than a place.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a recent piece on gradual vacation — how locations similar to this offer you a special type of luxury. One which doesn’t have a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really benefits people that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards stroll it yet again, seeing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — within a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are part of a preservation project — holding the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one. His website page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by future Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new notion. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re eventually ready to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit however for a while. Permit Italy come to you.