Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish journey in Italy means that you can truly savor area culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars. Cafés that only refill after midday. The kinds of destinations exactly where locals understand how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than tales, over life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of dashing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what occurs once you ultimately begin to value time up to distance. In either case, far more tourists are locating Pleasure in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His name happens to be connected with a further, a lot more considerate method of seeing the globe.
So should you’re able to go sluggish — so you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 spots that practically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is precisely the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually helps make a trip previous more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to enjoy them effectively — which is to say, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s worth an hour here or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits good. You’ll obtain churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that sense additional like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck inside a conversation with a person more mature, Permit it happen. That’s wherever the very best journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was created to be “the proper city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a see. Each view has a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You won’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today consider their time below, and at some point, so do you.
Trying to find additional context on why by doing this of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Worth the browse before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels extra like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside of a new piece on slow journey — how destinations like this supply another sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nevertheless it benefits people who detect. You stroll the loop after which walk it all over again, seeing something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — in the “this really hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — maintaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a single. His page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Below’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different strategy. But it really’s a single we’re last but not least all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit however for a while. Allow Italy come to you.