Some spots aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to definitely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up immediately after noon. The sorts of locations in which locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, about life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what takes place if you at last begin to benefit time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are getting joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Discovering how we connect to tradition and spot, is an element of that motion. His identify is now related to a further, extra considerate way of looking at the world.
So should you’re able to go sluggish — and you also’re imagining Italy — here are seven places that pretty much desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching during the Sunshine.
There’s not Considerably to accomplish, and that is precisely the position. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially would make a trip last more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them effectively — which is to say, little by little.
There’s a look at from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense far more like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped inside a dialogue with a person older, Enable it happen. That’s where the top vacation tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was intended to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Just about every watch provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today get their time here, and finally, so do you.
In search of more context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They check here paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on slow vacation — how spots similar to this present a unique sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which wander it once again, observing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a single. His website page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in a week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit even now for a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.