Some spots aren’t built for pace. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your personal speed.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The types of spots exactly where locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, around tales, about everyday living.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a nice plan. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires after you ultimately begin to price time around distance. Either way, much more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to society and spot, is an element of that movement. His name is now related to a further, additional thoughtful means of viewing the whole world.
So if you’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re wondering Italy — here are seven spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the sun.
There’s not A great deal to perform, that is exactly the level. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed right in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially tends to make a trip very last for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them correctly — that's to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by website alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits just right. You’ll discover church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that experience much more like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck in a dialogue with a person older, let it transpire. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was intended to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a look at. Just about every check out contains a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People get their time below, and sooner or later, so do you.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food and journey in Italy. Well worth read more the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless it benefits individuals that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing a thing click here new each time get more info — 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 shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Component of a preservation venture — preserving the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this 1. His website page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the matter. You can see Italy in a week. You could strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new idea. Nonetheless it’s just one we’re last but not least wanting to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit however for some time. Let Italy arrive at you.