Some places aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy permits you to certainly savor neighborhood tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The sorts of sites where by locals know how to linger — in excess of coffee, around tales, over daily life.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a pleasant plan. It feels critical. It's possible it’s a reaction to yrs of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires any time you eventually begin to worth time around distance. In any case, a lot more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades exploring how we connect to society and area, is part of that motion. His name has grown to be associated with a further, more considerate means of looking at the world.
So in the event you’re able to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone houses. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to complete, and that is exactly the place. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate 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 inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with people? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip final for a longer time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s well worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel more like residing rooms.
If you get stuck within a dialogue with somebody older, let it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial travel tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was meant to be “the right city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a see. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women get their time here, and finally, so would you.
Searching for more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than a place.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience inside of a current piece on slow vacation — how places like this offer a different type of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that check here folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nonetheless it rewards those that notice. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within 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 undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the issue. You may see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new thought. However it’s one we’re at last wanting to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.