Some spots aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy lets you genuinely savor regional culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill just after midday. The types of places the place locals understand how to linger — over espresso, in excess of tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good notion. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a reaction to many years of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place when you ultimately start to benefit time up to distance. In either case, much more travelers are finding joy in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Checking out how we connect with society and area, is part of that motion. His identify has become related to a further, far more thoughtful strategy for looking at the world.
So should you’re ready to go sluggish — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here's 7 spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated path, and once you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to note the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down truly can make a trip very last for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to enjoy them correctly — which is to state, slowly.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s well worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that truly feel additional like residing rooms.
If you have trapped in the dialogue with an individual older, let it occur. That’s where by the most beneficial travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the perfect town,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner contains a check out. Each individual see incorporates a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People just take their time right here, and at some point, so does one.
Searching for extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels additional 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 something here. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion within a new piece on gradual journey — how places like this supply a unique style of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards people who observe. You wander the loop and after that stroll it once more, looking at a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air check here is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — retaining the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one. His website page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy below, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the detail. You could see Italy in per week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different strategy. But it surely’s one we’re at last all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.