Some locations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow travel in Italy enables you to definitely savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill just after noon. The styles of sites where by locals learn how to linger — over coffee, about stories, above everyday living.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a nice thought. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or even it’s precisely what occurs any time you at last begin to price time as much as length. In any case, more tourists are finding Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect with culture and place, is a component of that motion. His identify has become related to a deeper, more thoughtful method of observing the entire world.
So if you’re wanting to go sluggish — and also you’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 places that nearly desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Very small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, and that is precisely the position. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really makes a trip last lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Quiet, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to take pleasure in them adequately — which is to convey, little by little.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s value an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you can get stuck in the conversation with another person more mature, Enable it take place. That’s exactly where the most beneficial journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was built to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a look at. Every check out contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry something in website Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons just take their time in this article, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and website journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the current piece on slow vacation — how destinations similar to this offer you a special sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it surely benefits people who detect. You wander the loop then stroll it all over again, looking at something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this essentially hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in 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 Component of more info a preservation job — retaining the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His webpage talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which happens here to be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Smart
In this article’s the thing. You may see Italy in every week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pics. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by upcoming Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. However it’s one particular we’re at last prepared to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.