Some spots aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy lets you definitely savor area society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The sorts of areas the place locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are locating Pleasure in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the world.
So if you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the 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 rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially helps make a visit very last for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you have trapped in a very conversation with someone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s in which the best travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner incorporates a view. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a current piece on slow journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is check here really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each 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 aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Wise
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one particular we’re last but not least prepared to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.