Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow travel in Italy enables you to certainly savor local tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish after noon. The kinds of sites wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, above daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires whenever you last but not least begin to price time up to length. In any case, more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Here's 7 places that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems 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 walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, which happens to be precisely the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically makes a visit past for a longer time in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you can get trapped within a discussion with an individual more mature, Allow it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was made to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting 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 does one.
Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a recent piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it benefits people that see. You wander the loop and after that walk it again, viewing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” 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 challenge — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this just one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, that's what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new plan. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re at last prepared to hear.
So check here go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Let Italy come to you.