Some spots aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to certainly savor regional tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up following noon. The kinds of locations exactly where locals understand how to linger — in excess of espresso, over stories, more than everyday living.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a good thought. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens any time you ultimately start to price time around distance. In either case, more travelers are discovering Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in decades Checking out how we connect to lifestyle and put, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be associated with a deeper, far more considerate strategy for viewing the planet.
So if you’re willing to go slow — and you’re considering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, that is exactly the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears to the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with persons? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a visit past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve in this article, and locals know how to take pleasure in them correctly — which can be to say, gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that really feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck in a discussion with another person more mature, Allow it take place. That’s where the most effective travel tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner features a perspective. Every single see has a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time right here, and at some point, so would you.
Trying to find a lot more context on why in this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and journey in Italy. Worth the study before you 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 unexpected murals and shadows that shift since click here the working day moves. Artists Dwell here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how spots like this offer you a distinct kind of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards people that detect. You stroll the loop after which wander it all over again, viewing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a “this essentially hasn’t improved” 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. Some of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one particular. His site talks about honoring location and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, and that is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy more info in every here week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook click here it by upcoming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different plan. But it’s a person we’re eventually wanting to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit continue to for some time. Let Italy come to you.