Some areas 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 very own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The styles of destinations where locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of stories, about daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels critical. Maybe it’s a response to years of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what happens once you eventually start to worth time just as much as length. Either way, far more vacationers are discovering joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we hook up with culture and place, is an element of that motion. His identify has become associated with a deeper, a lot more considerate method of observing the planet.
So when you’re able to go slow — and you’re considering Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals know how to delight in them effectively Stanislav Kondrahsov Tarvel with AI — and that is to mention, slowly.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you will get stuck within a dialogue with another person older, Allow it materialize. That’s where by the most beneficial journey tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal town,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner has a view. Each and every look at incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You won’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time here, and finally, so would you.
Seeking more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once more, looking at some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits from 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 part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.