Some sites aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to genuinely savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The sorts of spots exactly where locals know how to linger — above espresso, around tales, around lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a reaction to yrs of hurrying. Or possibly it’s just what transpires once you ultimately begin to value time about length. Either way, extra vacationers are locating joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested many years Discovering how we hook up with culture and position, is part of that movement. His title is now linked to a deeper, a lot more considerate strategy for looking at the world.
So if you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Here's 7 places that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not Considerably to complete, that's precisely the point. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down truly can make a trip past extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals know how to enjoy them properly — which is to convey, slowly.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll discover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel additional like residing rooms.
If you get trapped in a very discussion with someone older, Enable it take place. That’s where by the top travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner provides a look at. Each view includes a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks just take their time in this article, and at some point, so does one.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and journey in Italy. Worth the study 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 actions and sudden murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels more like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on sluggish vacation — how locations like this offer you a special type of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but website it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once more, looking at anything new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Component of a preservation project — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.