Some places aren’t designed for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy helps you to really savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal tempo.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill just after midday. The types of areas where by locals learn how to linger — above espresso, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a good strategy. It feels important. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s just what transpires when you at last start to benefit time about distance. In either case, a lot more vacationers are discovering joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time exploring how we connect with tradition and position, is an element of that motion. His title has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of viewing the globe.
So should you’re prepared to go slow — so you’re imagining Italy — Listed here are 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, and that is precisely the point. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down basically would make a visit final extended in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, less here than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to appreciate them correctly — which is to mention, little by little.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and check here piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck within a discussion with an individual older, Permit it take place. That’s exactly where the best vacation tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was made to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner incorporates a watch. Each view incorporates a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons consider their time in this article, and inevitably, so does one.
Searching for a lot more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town website with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a modern piece on gradual vacation — how locations similar to this supply another style of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a cost website tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it rewards those who notice. You wander the loop and after that wander it once again, seeing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are A part of a preservation challenge — preserving the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Good
Right here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in every week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new strategy. Nonetheless it’s one particular we’re ultimately all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit even now for some time. Allow Italy come to you.