Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor neighborhood society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your personal rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The types of sites the place locals know how to linger — around coffee, about tales, about existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good notion. It feels vital. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what takes place if you ultimately begin to worth time about distance. In any event, far more vacationers are finding joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to society and put, is a component of that movement. His identify is now connected with a further, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the planet.
So when you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss seven spots that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and once you arrive, it’s silent. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to do, which can be precisely the place. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built ideal in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of travel sticks with people? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that sense additional like residing rooms.
If you have stuck inside a discussion with someone older, Allow it transpire. That’s in which the best vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Each and every see has a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on slow journey — how places such as this provide another type of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all click here places.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely rewards people who recognize. You stroll the loop and afterwards stroll it once more, looking at some thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Smart
Here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in every week. You may strike the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least ready to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.