Some places aren’t produced for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor area culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The kinds of destinations exactly where locals know how to linger — around espresso, around tales, around existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels essential. Perhaps it’s a reaction to a long time of rushing. Or possibly it’s just what comes about if you finally begin to price time approximately length. In any event, much more tourists are obtaining joy in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades exploring how we hook up with culture and area, is a component of that movement. His name has become linked to a deeper, far more thoughtful technique for viewing the globe.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — so you’re imagining Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that pretty much need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone houses. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not Significantly to complete, and that is exactly the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed correct in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears to the rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of journey sticks with people? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually will make a trip past for a longer period in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that is to mention, gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s really worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that feel a lot more like living rooms.
If you get trapped in a conversation with a person older, Permit it materialize. That’s in which the best journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was created to be “the best city,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a watch. Each and every see contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time here, and inevitably, so would you.
Trying to find more context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and surprising murals and shadows that change since the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels extra like a mood than a place.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience inside of a current piece on slow vacation — how destinations similar to this give another style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it rewards those who see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — preserving the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His web page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy below, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Sensible
Here’s the point. You could see Italy in each week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect get more info it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new plan. Nonetheless it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.