Some places aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The types of sites wherever locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what occurs if you at last begin to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

So if you’re ready to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not A lot to try and do, and that is precisely the place. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to note The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

The speed here is 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 from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to convey, bit by bit.

There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you have caught in a very discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Every perspective contains a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly 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 purchasing lunch. People today just take their time here, and finally, so does one.

Seeking more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods 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 steps and surprising murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a spot.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something listed here. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this experience inside of a current piece on slow travel — how locations like this provide a distinct form of luxury. One that doesn’t have a price tag.

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

Locorotondo is a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it benefits individuals who recognize. You walk the loop and then stroll it once again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring location and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.