Some spots aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish after noon. The types of sites where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are getting Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a conversation with a person older, let it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a perspective. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time here, and inevitably, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how sites such as this offer you a special type of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round website streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation project — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.