Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor local culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up soon after noon. The kinds of places exactly where locals learn how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, about existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to price time about length. In either case, additional vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years Discovering how we hook up with tradition and spot, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be connected to a further, much more thoughtful technique for looking at the globe.
So for those who’re able to go gradual — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here's 7 spots that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, that is precisely the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed correct into the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.
The speed Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact would make a trip past lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals know how to take pleasure in them appropriately — which can be to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s value an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that experience extra like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a dialogue with somebody more mature, Allow it take place. That’s exactly where the most beneficial travel stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a look at. Just about every look at features a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and get more info women choose their time in this article, and inevitably, so does one.
Looking for a lot more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift because the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels more just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a modern piece on slow vacation — how areas like this offer another form of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it rewards individuals that recognize. You stroll the loop and afterwards wander it all over again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — holding the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the matter. You can see Italy in each week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it’s just one we’re ultimately prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.