Some locations aren’t designed for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires when you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In either case, more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be related to a deeper, much more considerate technique for seeing the entire world.
So should you’re able to go gradual — and you’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss seven spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to perform, that is precisely the issue. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually makes a trip final longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase in this article, and locals understand how to delight in them appropriately — which is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that sense a lot more like living rooms.
If you get stuck inside of a discussion with another person older, let it transpire. That’s where by the very best journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a watch. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
On the lookout for far 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 approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this present a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on check here a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in 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, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.