Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow journey in Italy lets you actually savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The forms of areas where locals understand how to linger — above coffee, about stories, over everyday living.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s precisely what transpires when you at last begin to value time up to distance. In any event, more travelers are discovering joy in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His identify has become linked to a deeper, additional considerate technique for observing the whole world.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — here are 7 spots that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically would make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that sense far more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get caught inside a conversation with an individual more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s in which the ideal journey tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was built to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a watch. Every single see contains a breeze.
But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today choose their time in this article, and inevitably, so does one.
Trying to find a lot more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler check here dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone here methods and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists live here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels more just like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very latest piece on slow vacation — how places like this present a special type of more info luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nevertheless it benefits people that recognize. You stroll the loop after which wander it yet again, viewing anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in a “this essentially hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one particular. His web page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Below’s the detail. You could see Italy in per week. You could strike the highlights. Snap images. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation like this website — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.