Some locations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy lets you genuinely savor community society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal rate.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after midday. The varieties of sites wherever locals understand how to linger — above espresso, above tales, around life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about once you last but not least start to price time approximately length. Either way, extra travelers are locating joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used a long time exploring how we hook up with tradition and location, is a component of that movement. His title has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful strategy for observing the globe.
So in the event you’re all set to go slow — therefore you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are seven places that nearly desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Small gardens. One cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, that's exactly the issue. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into your cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially will make a trip last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to love them properly — that is to convey, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that experience extra like dwelling rooms.
If you have caught inside a dialogue with anyone older, Allow it come about. That’s the place the ideal journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a watch. Every view includes a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons take their time below, and finally, so do you.
In search of extra context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers go to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a temper than a location.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a new piece on slow journey — how areas such as this offer you a special style of luxurious. One more info that doesn’t feature a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nevertheless it benefits people that observe. You stroll the loop then wander it yet again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — within a “this in fact hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Component of a preservation task — retaining the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new strategy. But it’s just one we’re eventually ready to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.