Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy permits you to actually savor local tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for autos. Cafés that only refill following midday. The kinds of places exactly where locals understand how to linger — about espresso, about tales, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels essential. Probably it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you finally begin to value time up to distance. In any event, extra travelers are getting joy in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used yrs Discovering how we connect with society and place, is part of that motion. His title happens to be connected with a further, a lot more thoughtful method of viewing the globe.
So for those who’re ready to go gradual — and you simply’re thinking Italy — here are seven spots that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across an extended, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is precisely the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed appropriate in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The pace here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially tends to make a trip final for a longer period within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes improve here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them thoroughly — which can be to say, little by little.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll come across churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that truly feel more like living rooms.
If you have trapped in the dialogue with a person more mature, Enable it occur. That’s the place the very best travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was created to be “the proper metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a look at. Every single see incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals just take their time in this article, and at some point, so do you.
In search of a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside a the latest piece on slow journey — how places like this present a special sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo check here (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely benefits individuals who notice. You wander the loop after which you can walk it all over again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy in this article, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the thing. You could see Italy in a week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap images. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new plan. But it really’s a person we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.