Some areas aren’t made for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after midday. The varieties of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, above tales, over daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place when you ultimately start to price time as much as length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, extra considerate means of viewing the globe.
So in case you’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not A lot to carry out, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with persons? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly would make a trip past longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them effectively — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of read more town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that feel far more like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught inside of a conversation with an individual more mature, Enable it occur. That’s the place the best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and vacation in Italy. Well worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels more like a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give another style of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nevertheless it rewards individuals that see. You stroll the loop and after that wander it once more, looking at a thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.