Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to actually savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The sorts of locations where by locals understand how to linger — above espresso, in excess of stories, over daily life.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to value time approximately distance. In any event, additional tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more considerate technique for observing the globe.

So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically can make a trip very last more time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — that's to convey, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that experience additional like living rooms.

If you have stuck inside a dialogue with anyone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.

But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time here, and sooner or later, so would you.

On the lookout for extra context on why in this manner of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill town with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything right here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling inside a modern piece on sluggish journey — how places like this provide another form of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a rate tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards those who recognize. You wander the loop after which you can stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy more info listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by upcoming Tuesday?

Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new idea. Nonetheless it’s just one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly. Opt for a village. Sit however for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.