Some spots aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, above everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place any time you lastly start to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name happens to be related to a further, extra thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So if you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

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

The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus 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 travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous for a longer time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, 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 when here the sun hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.

If you get stuck in a conversation with somebody older, let it occur. That’s in which the top journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a look at. Each and every see has a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women choose their time listed here, and finally, so do you.

Trying to find far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in the recent piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations like this provide a distinct type of luxury. One that doesn’t have a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really benefits people that detect. You stroll the loop after which wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Quite alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — keeping the past alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one particular. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Clever
Listed here’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in a week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new strategy. But it surely’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.