Some destinations aren’t made for pace. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to really savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The varieties of destinations where by locals know how to linger — in excess of coffee, over stories, over life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what transpires when you finally start to price time as much as distance. In either case, a lot more tourists are discovering joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become related to a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are seven spots that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, that is exactly the level. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note the light. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed correct to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears to the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, plus 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 travel sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually would make a visit last lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to love them appropriately — which can be to say, little by little.
There’s a website view from the edge of town that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll come across churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that sense much more like residing rooms.
If you have caught inside of a discussion with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a check out. Each and every see features a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Trying to find more context on why using this method Stanislav Kondrashov of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav here Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You check here don’t chase anything at all listed here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very new piece on slow vacation — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it again, observing some thing new each time — a cat over 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. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.