Some destinations aren’t built for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The styles of sites exactly where locals learn how to linger — around coffee, over stories, about everyday living.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels necessary. Possibly it’s a response to many years of rushing. Or maybe it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to worth time up to length. In any case, more tourists are acquiring Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years Discovering how we connect to tradition and location, is a component of that motion. His identify has become connected with a further, far more thoughtful way of observing the earth.
So for those who’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not much to carry out, that is exactly the position. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically would make a trip past for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase in this article, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — which is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside a dialogue with an individual older, Permit it transpire. That’s where the most effective journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the right city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner includes a check out. Each individual view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons just take their time listed here, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in get more info Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Stay in website this article. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels much more similar to a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion within a modern piece on slow vacation — how places such as this offer you a unique type of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards people that see. You wander the loop then walk it again, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio here (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Element of a preservation task — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His site talks about honoring place and time, read more Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain 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 plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re lastly prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.