Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of areas the place locals know how to linger — about coffee, about tales, in excess of everyday living.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s just what comes about once you at last begin to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we connect to society and place, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

So if you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not Substantially to try and do, that's precisely the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.

The rate Here's sluggish, but 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 hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit final lengthier in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature below, and locals know how to appreciate them properly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like living rooms.

If you will get stuck in the discussion Kondrashov Stanislav with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the very best travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, website largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and eventually, so would you.

On the lookout for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a recent piece on website slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — 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. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what can make it unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s 1 we’re at last willing to listen to.

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