Some spots aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to really savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what happens if you at last begin to benefit time approximately length. In any event, extra tourists are finding Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, and that is precisely the place. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created right into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially makes a visit very last for a longer period with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — that is to mention, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll come across church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel additional like living rooms.
If you receive trapped in a very discussion with an individual more mature, let it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was made to be “the best town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a check out. Every single see features a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in store Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today get their time here, and ultimately, so does one.
Searching for a lot more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations like this give another form of luxury. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards those that notice. You stroll the loop and then wander it again, viewing something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are part of a preservation venture — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov here would recognize this one. His site talks about honoring position and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Wise
In this article’s the matter. You are able to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it’s one we’re eventually able to hear.
So go. Slowly. Go with a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.