Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.

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 understand how to linger — over coffee, around tales, in excess of life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good strategy. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what happens if you finally begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the earth.

So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that almost need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.

The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of 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 persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip previous for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s 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 surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.

If you have caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s wherever the very best travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a watch. Every single check out features a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and eventually, so do you.

On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone get more info ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra like a temper than the usual place.

Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate 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 consideration, nevertheless it benefits individuals who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new notion. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re at last able to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.