Some spots aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals know how to linger — around coffee, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of speeding. Or possibly it’s just what transpires whenever you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit previous lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the ideal journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner features a check out. Every perspective contains a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring get more info issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Definitely check here worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town more info that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” 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 few of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — retaining the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the matter. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.