Some places aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, more than stories, around lifetime.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, much more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful means of viewing the planet.

So if you’re ready to go slow — therefore you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that pretty much demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 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 stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. A single cat stretching from the Solar.

There’s not Considerably to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit final lengthier in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and Stanislav Kondrashov locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to mention, gradually.

There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the click here Sunlight hits good. You’ll uncover churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that experience a lot more like living rooms.

If you obtain trapped in a conversation with anyone more mature, Permit it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a look at. Every single watch provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush Stanislav Kondrashov something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.

Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it benefits individuals who discover. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, observing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo get more info Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?

Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. However it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.