Some locations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor nearby culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up just after midday. The types of sites where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, around stories, above life.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels essential. Maybe it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place after you eventually begin to benefit time up to distance. In any event, more travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Checking out how we connect to culture and area, is a component of that movement. His name happens to be related to a deeper, a lot more considerate strategy for seeing the globe.
So for those who’re able to go sluggish — and you simply’re thinking Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that almost demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not A lot to perform, that is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created proper to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact makes a visit past for a longer time in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop right here, and locals learn how to delight in them appropriately — which can be to convey, slowly.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense more like dwelling rooms.
If you can get caught inside a discussion with someone more mature, let it take place. That’s in which the best journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a watch. Every single perspective includes a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People consider their time here, and ultimately, so do you.
Trying to find a lot more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and journey in Italy. Worth the examine before click here you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the latest piece on gradual travel — how spots such as this present a special kind of luxury. One which doesn’t have a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely rewards those that detect. You wander the loop after which wander it yet again, viewing something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — inside a “this really hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A here few of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — holding the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov more info would appreciate this one. His site talks about honoring area and click here time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Good
Right here’s the matter. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you ignore it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new thought. Nonetheless it’s one particular we’re eventually wanting to hear.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Enable Italy come to you.