Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy allows you to truly savor community lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slim for autos. Cafés that only refill following noon. The varieties of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — about espresso, around stories, more than life.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires once you at last begin to benefit time up to length. In any event, a lot more vacationers are discovering joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify is now associated with a further, much more considerate means of viewing the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated path, and once you arrive, it’s silent. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not Considerably to perform, which can be exactly the position. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of journey sticks with persons? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact tends to make a trip past lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and read more locals understand how to take pleasure in them appropriately — which happens to be to say, little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.
If you have caught in the discussion with another person older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a perspective. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today just take their time here, and finally, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a location.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes 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 forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s a single we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.