Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you definitely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The styles of destinations exactly where locals know how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than tales, over daily life.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Probably it’s a reaction to several years of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what transpires any time you at last start to price time up to length. In either case, far more tourists are acquiring Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time Discovering how we hook up with society and area, is part of that motion. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra thoughtful means of viewing the earth.
So when you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re thinking Italy — Here's seven spots that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to do, which can be precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by 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 travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really can make a trip very last extended in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them effectively — which can be to convey, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck inside a conversation with an individual more mature, let it website happen. That’s where by the most beneficial vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals take their time in this article, and ultimately, so does one.
Trying to find far more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, click here then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who notice. You wander the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted here indicator pointing to more info homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.