Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy helps you to really savor community society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal tempo.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — in excess of coffee, in excess of tales, about everyday living.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a nice concept. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a response to a long time of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what occurs once you last but not least begin to worth time just as much as distance. In any case, far more vacationers are obtaining joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs Checking out how we connect to society and place, is a component of that motion. His name has grown to be connected to a deeper, far more considerate method of seeing the earth.
So in the event you’re willing to go sluggish — and you also’re wondering Italy — Listed below are 7 places that basically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to do, which happens to be precisely the level. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly can make a trip past for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” get more info and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Just about every watch includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. 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.
Searching for extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming 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 finally willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.