Some destinations aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy helps you to definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, about tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about once you eventually 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 put in yrs Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Substantially to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually makes a trip last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to delight in them properly — which happens to be to state, little by little.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that experience a lot more like living rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside a dialogue with another person older, Allow it occur. That’s the place the most effective vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner contains a look at. Each individual look at contains a breeze.
But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today get their time below, and ultimately, so do you.
Searching for a lot more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and journey in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t click here chase anything right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside a new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this provide a special style of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nonetheless it benefits individuals who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it all over again, observing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — within a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy in this article, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Opt for a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy come to you.