Some destinations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The styles of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens any time you lastly start to worth time as much as distance. Either way, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with society and place, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be associated with a further, extra considerate strategy for observing the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — therefore you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit very last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them properly — that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a view from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that sense much more like living rooms.
If you will get trapped inside of a discussion with an individual more mature, let it materialize. That’s wherever the ideal travel check here stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a perspective. Each watch contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People choose their time listed here, and finally, so does one.
Searching for extra context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone here measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than a location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a recent piece on sluggish travel — how sites such as this give a special form of luxurious. One which doesn’t have here a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards those that recognize. You walk the loop and after that wander it all over again, observing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a “this essentially hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits during 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 project — maintaining get more info the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Smart
In this article’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You may hit the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh notion. However it’s one particular we’re ultimately wanting to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Enable Italy come to you.