Some sites aren’t made for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy lets you certainly savor local culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for autos. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The types of destinations wherever locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, more than lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels important. Maybe it’s a response to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, much more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful means of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re able to go slow — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that practically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to delight in them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that sense more like dwelling rooms.
If you get caught inside a dialogue with a person older, Permit it transpire. That’s exactly where the top vacation tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was designed to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a watch. Each and every look at incorporates a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time here, and ultimately, so does one.
In search of extra context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff website and vacation in Italy. Well worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels far more like a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual vacation — how destinations like this provide another kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round read more streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards individuals who discover. You walk the loop then walk it yet again, looking at anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Stanislav Kondrashov Business Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov check here pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” 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 part of a preservation task — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one particular. His site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Wise
Here’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in a week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photos. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by following Tuesday?
Journey such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new thought. But it surely’s one we’re finally all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.