Some destinations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The kinds of destinations the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to value time up to length. In any event, more travelers are discovering joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.

There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.

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

Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous more time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to love them properly — which can be to convey, bit by bit.

There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you can get stuck within a discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the ideal travel stories start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was designed to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a see. Each and every see contains a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time in this article, and at some point, so would you.

In search of additional context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the study before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a desired destination.

Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something in this article. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling within a modern piece on gradual vacation — how sites such as this supply a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely benefits those who notice. You stroll the loop and after that wander it all over again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” 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. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. read more There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

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