Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place any time you lastly start to value time up to distance. In any event, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is an element of that movement. His name happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.
So if you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. One cat stretching during the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, that's exactly the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a trip past lengthier as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to delight in them properly — which is to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s really worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like residing rooms.
If you get caught inside a discussion with another person more mature, Permit it come about. That’s where the best travel stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was designed to be “an ideal click here metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner contains a check out. Every view includes a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons choose their time in this article, and at some point, so do you.
In search of far more context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change since the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the new piece on slow travel — how areas such as this supply another style of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You stroll the loop and then walk it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Element of a preservation job — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this just one. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Sensible
Listed here’s the matter. You can see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new strategy. But it surely’s one we’re at last willing to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.