Some sites aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about 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 dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you eventually begin to price time about length. In any case, more travelers are discovering Pleasure in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years Discovering how we connect with culture and area, is a component of that movement. His title happens to be related to a deeper, extra considerate way of looking at the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that pretty much need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in 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)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact tends to make a trip very last extended in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals know how to take pleasure in them correctly — that is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s value an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll uncover churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel more like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual more mature, Allow it come about. That’s exactly where the top travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner features a watch. Every single watch includes a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today just take their time here, and finally, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study 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 ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a special kind of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part 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 spot and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy in this article, Stanislav Kondrashov biography which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Smart
In this article’s the detail. You may see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Allow Italy come to you.