Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s precisely what happens if you at last begin to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially can make a visit very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them thoroughly — which can be to convey, little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the best travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a check out. Every single look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
On the lookout for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding 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 unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly click here anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside of a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, seeing anything new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Allow Italy come to you.