Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy permits you to certainly savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than tales, over lifetime.

In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or even it’s precisely what takes place if you last but not least begin to value time just as much as length. In either case, extra tourists are acquiring joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years Checking out how we connect to lifestyle and spot, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be linked to a further, a lot more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.

So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Solar.

There’s not A great deal to try and do, that's precisely the issue. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually 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 through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually can make a visit previous more time in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to delight in them appropriately — that is to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel more like living rooms.

If you have trapped in a dialogue with someone older, Allow it come about. That’s where by the very best journey tales commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the best city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Every look at provides a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, able to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and at some point, so would you.

Trying to find more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding 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 actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers website go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a selling price tag.

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

Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits those that notice. You stroll the loop after which wander it once more, observing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its here calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what this village more info does. There’s read more practically nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Good
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually able to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.