Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy lets you really savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of places where by locals learn how to linger — around coffee, over tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a good notion. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to decades of hurrying. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about if you ultimately start to value time just as much as distance. In any event, more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years exploring how we hook up with tradition and put, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful technique for viewing the entire world.
So if you’re ready to go sluggish — and you simply’re contemplating Italy — Here's 7 places that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, that's exactly the stage. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed right into the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically would make a trip last for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to delight in them correctly — that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a look at from the edge of town that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel additional like living rooms.
If you obtain stuck in a discussion with another person older, let it come about. That’s in which the best vacation stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a watch. Every single view has a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons choose their time below, and eventually, so does one.
On the lookout for extra context on why in this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift given that the working day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very recent piece on sluggish journey — how areas like this offer another sort of luxury. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it rewards individuals that discover. You stroll the loop then walk it once more, observing one thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Component of a preservation undertaking — keeping the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a single. His web page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy right here, that's what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Journey such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded read more — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new strategy. But it’s one we’re at last wanting to hear.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.