Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires whenever you eventually begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and put, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So if you’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit very last more 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 correctly — which happens to be to mention, little by little.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum click here when the Solar hits excellent. You’ll locate church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck in a discussion with anyone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a view. Each see has a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so does one.
Searching for more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and journey in Italy. Definitely 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 city with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how sites like this offer you another style of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, seeing anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.