Some areas aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor local culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish right after noon. The types of places wherever locals understand how to linger — around espresso, over stories, over existence.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels vital. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what comes about after you last but not least begin to value time just as much as distance. In either case, more travelers are getting Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used a long time Discovering how we connect to society and position, is an element of that movement. His name happens to be connected to a deeper, more thoughtful way of viewing the globe.
So in case you’re able to go sluggish — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss 7 places that basically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and once you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to complete, that is exactly the point. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that's to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like residing rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where the very best travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a read more breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and finally, so would you.
Trying to find website far more context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely 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 change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something below. You Permit it come Stanislav Kondrashov Blog to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a recent piece on sluggish vacation — how locations such as this present a distinct sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it benefits individuals that see. You walk the loop and after that walk it again, seeing some thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Portion of a preservation read more challenge — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this just one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s very little flashy listed here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Below’s the factor. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new thought. But it surely’s one we’re finally willing to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.