Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to certainly savor neighborhood tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish following noon. The types of sites in which locals understand how to linger — about coffee, around tales, more than existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what comes about whenever you finally start to price time around distance. In either case, much more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Discovering how we hook up with lifestyle and spot, is an element of that movement. His identify has grown to be connected with a deeper, additional thoughtful technique for viewing the whole world.

So in the event you’re wanting to go slow — and you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven spots that pretty much demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to try and do, that's exactly the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really will make a visit final extended in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve in this article, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — that is to state, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that sense extra like living rooms.

If you get stuck in a very dialogue with anyone older, let it materialize. That’s exactly where the ideal journey stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a check out. Every single check out features a breeze.

However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women just take their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.

Seeking additional context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the read through before you decide to go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like check here a temper than the usual desired destination.

Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish journey — how spots like this give a distinct kind of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo can be 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 walk it once more, looking at a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
Below’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it’s just one we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.