Some locations aren’t built for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to truly savor neighborhood society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up just after midday. The sorts of areas where by locals learn how to linger — more than espresso, about stories, around lifetime.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice concept. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to benefit time around length. Either way, far more tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we hook up with tradition and position, is part of that movement. His name has grown to be associated with a further, extra thoughtful method of looking at the world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven spots 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 a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

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

The pace Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really helps make a visit previous longer inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals know how to enjoy them properly — which can be to convey, gradually.

There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that experience a lot more like living rooms.

If you obtain stuck in the discussion with anyone more mature, Permit it happen. That’s where the most beneficial travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a check out. Each and every see has a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today get their time in this read more article, and sooner or later, so does one.

Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through 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 city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it benefits those that see. You walk the loop after which you can wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least ready to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.