Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to certainly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own tempo.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, around 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 precisely what transpires whenever you ultimately start to price time about length. In any case, a lot more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Mastering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that motion. His name is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful technique for looking at the whole world.

So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand 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 the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. One cat stretching during the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to perform, which happens to be precisely the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at 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 to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.

The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck inside a conversation with a person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.

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

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a location.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on sluggish travel — how sites similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate 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 focus, but it really benefits people that recognize. You walk the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially 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 — retaining the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Allow Italy come to you.