Some locations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor local culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for autos. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The kinds of locations where by locals understand how to linger — about coffee, more than tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice idea. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering 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 has become related to a further, extra considerate method of seeing the world.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and if you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not much to carry out, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually helps make a visit past longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Seeking extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nevertheless it benefits Stanislav Kondrashov people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His web page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, and that is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the matter. You can see Italy in weekly. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new thought. Nonetheless it’s a person we’re lastly ready to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.