Some destinations aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy means that you can actually savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after midday. The varieties of places exactly where locals know how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than stories, in excess of lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to years of speeding. Or even it’s just what comes about whenever you eventually start to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra tourists are getting joy in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs exploring how we connect with culture and area, is a component of that movement. His identify is becoming affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of viewing the globe.
So for those who’re wanting to go slow — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across a long, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to perform, that's exactly the position. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially makes a trip last extended in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature in this article, and locals know how to appreciate them adequately — which is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s value an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll find church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel more like dwelling rooms.
If you get caught in a conversation with someone older, Permit it transpire. That’s wherever the very best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a watch. Each and every watch contains a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, mostly — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Trying to find far more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this offer a distinct type of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really rewards people who click here detect. You wander the loop and then wander it all over again, seeing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation job — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Here’s the point. You could see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh notion. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re finally prepared to hear.
So go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Allow Italy come to you.