Some areas aren’t made for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to really savor community tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for autos. Cafés that only replenish following noon. The types of places where by locals understand how to linger — above coffee, over tales, around life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to many years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires when you at last begin to value time approximately distance. In either case, a lot more vacationers are acquiring joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is an element of that motion. His name is becoming connected to a deeper, extra thoughtful way of viewing the whole world.
So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — so you’re considering Italy — Listed below are seven spots that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Little gardens. A single cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to complete, that is exactly the point. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly would make a trip last more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to appreciate them correctly — that's to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel far more like living rooms.
If you will get stuck in a conversation with a person more mature, Allow it occur. That’s where the top vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was intended to be “the best metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a perspective. Every single see contains a breeze.
But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People just take their time here, and finally, so do you.
Seeking more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read 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 techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much 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 sensation within a current piece on slow travel — how locations such as this provide a distinct form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag 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 consideration, but it surely benefits those that detect. You stroll the loop and afterwards walk it once more, check here looking at a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — within a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s just one we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy come to you.