Some places aren’t designed for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy enables you to certainly savor neighborhood culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. Either way, a lot more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re able to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, that's exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also 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 vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals learn how to love them appropriately — which is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits good. You’ll discover church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel additional like residing rooms.
If you receive stuck inside of a dialogue with anyone more mature, Allow it come about. That’s in which the most beneficial travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a look at. Each perspective includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, typically — pecorino more info getting older in store Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today acquire their time in this article, and ultimately, so do you.
Trying to find more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay listed here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels more just like a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something in this article. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a recent piece on sluggish travel — how locations such as this supply another type of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You walk the loop and after that stroll it all over again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. But it surely’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.