Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy means that you can truly savor area society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only replenish just after midday. The types of destinations the place locals understand how to linger — about espresso, above stories, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place after you at last begin to benefit time approximately distance. In any case, extra tourists are discovering joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to culture and place, is part of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, additional thoughtful technique for viewing the whole world.
So for those who’re willing to go slow — so you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not much to do, which can be precisely the point. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed ideal into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of journey sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially will make a trip previous lengthier as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes grow listed here, and locals learn how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to say, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s value an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that truly feel extra like living rooms.
If you obtain trapped in the dialogue with an individual older, Allow it materialize. That’s where the most effective journey tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner features a view. Every here single perspective includes a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women acquire their time below, and inevitably, so would you.
Searching for more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the read through prior to deciding 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 ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very latest piece on slow travel — how places such as this offer a distinct form of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nevertheless it benefits people that discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once again, seeing some thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — preserving the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a single. His web site talks about honoring place and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Wise
Right here’s the issue. You could see Italy in every week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by following Tuesday?
Travel like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re at last able to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.