Some areas aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy lets you definitely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of locations the place locals know how to linger — about coffee, about tales, above lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the planet.

So in the event you’re able to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to do, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.

The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding through 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 learn why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact tends to make a visit final lengthier in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. click here You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.

If you receive stuck within a discussion with an individual more mature, Permit it come about. That’s wherever the best travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Each view contains a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

On the lookout for a lot more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation 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 methods and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it website benefits those that see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it all over again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — within a “this in fact hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the past alive by here inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new notion. But it really’s 1 we’re at last willing to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at check here you.