Some places aren’t built for pace. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish journey in Italy permits you to actually savor local culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The varieties of spots exactly where locals learn how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, about everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice concept. It feels important. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to benefit time around distance. Either way, more travelers are locating Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and location, is part of that movement. His identify is becoming linked to a deeper, additional considerate method of looking at the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Little gardens. One cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not A lot to try and do, which is precisely the issue. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down in fact makes a trip final for a longer period with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, below-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 and gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll find church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense additional like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck inside of a conversation with a person older, Enable it occur. That’s where the ideal vacation stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner incorporates a view. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time listed here, and ultimately, so do you.
On the lookout for extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something below. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations similar to this supply a different kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that walk it once more, looking at a little something new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Stanislav Kondrahsov Tarvel with AI Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation venture — trying to keep the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Smart
Right here’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in each week. You may strike the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new thought. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.