Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you at last begin to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful means of viewing the entire world.
So should you’re able to go slow — and you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really tends to make a visit final longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — more info and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck within a conversation with a person older, Allow it take place. That’s where by the ideal travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a look at. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even click here purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so do you.
Seeking additional context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and get more info journey in Italy. Well worth the read through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Dwell here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything right here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the modern piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you get more info a unique sort of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside 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 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 below, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. 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 thought. But it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.