Some spots aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow journey in Italy means that you can genuinely savor neighborhood tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The sorts of areas where by locals learn how to linger — about espresso, above stories, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to many years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s exactly what happens whenever you ultimately begin to price time up to length. In any event, more tourists are getting Pleasure in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades exploring how we connect to society and spot, is a component of that movement. His name has grown to be affiliated with a further, more considerate way of seeing the planet.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, which can be precisely the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted appropriate into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The rate Here's slow, but 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 within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly will make a trip very last more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to love them effectively — which can be to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s value an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits check here good. You’ll locate church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that feel a lot more like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught within a conversation with somebody older, Enable it materialize. That’s the place the top journey tales here begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal town,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a check out. Each view has a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People just take their time below, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find far more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists Stay listed here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels far more like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience within a recent piece on slow journey — how destinations similar to this offer you a unique kind of luxury. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really rewards people that discover. read more You stroll the here loop after which wander it yet again, viewing some thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in the “this truly hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy below, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Below’s the factor. You may see Italy in a week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh thought. Nonetheless it’s just one we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit however for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.