Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to certainly savor area society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of destinations where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, about stories, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels essential. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about if you finally begin to value time up to distance. In any event, extra tourists are finding joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra thoughtful technique for looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand from customers 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. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Very small gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the point. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — and that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you will get trapped within a conversation with somebody older, let it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was get more info intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today acquire their time listed here, and finally, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. read more Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish journey — how places read more like this give a different style of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards people that discover. You stroll the loop after which you can walk it all over again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — get more info inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the matter. You can see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. 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 thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.