Some places aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy allows you to truly savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of locations where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels essential. It's possible it’s a reaction to yrs of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you ultimately start to price time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, more considerate technique for observing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 places that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be precisely the place. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of vacation sticks with individuals? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially can make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them correctly — that is to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll find church here buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you have caught inside of a dialogue with somebody more mature, Allow it occur. That’s where by the very best travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, generally — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time in this article, and finally, so do you.
In search of a lot more context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in the get more info modern piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this give a unique kind of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically 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. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the click here previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Wise
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. more info But it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.