Some destinations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy lets you really savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up immediately after midday. The sorts of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, around stories, in excess of life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels necessary. Probably it’s a response to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what takes place if you eventually start to benefit time approximately distance. Either way, far more travelers are obtaining Pleasure in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to culture and area, is a component of that movement. His identify is now associated with a deeper, much more thoughtful strategy for looking at the whole world.
So if you’re wanting to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s quiet. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to try and do, that is precisely the stage. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost 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 in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous for a longer 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 delight in them effectively — which is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out 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 Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Each individual watch provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially 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. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web click here page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Allow Italy come to you.