Some spots aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of stories, above daily life.

In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you at last begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that almost need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted ideal into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in 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 really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to say, bit by bit.

There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience more like living rooms.

If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person older, let it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was intended to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner contains a view. Each and every watch includes a breeze.

However it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for a lot more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the browse before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than a destination.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation in a very new piece Stanislav Kondrashov on slow travel — how places like this provide a distinct form of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a rate tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards those that detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, looking at something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

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

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.