Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can definitely savor community society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The varieties of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires whenever you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. Either way, a lot more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.

The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last more time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them effectively — which is to state, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like living rooms.

If you have caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Enable it transpire. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a check out. Each view contains a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through 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 ways and sudden murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual desired destination.

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

Forbes captured this feeling in the latest piece on slow vacation — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it benefits those that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks click here about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.