Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy enables you to genuinely savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after noon. The sorts of sites where by locals understand how to linger — about espresso, in excess of stories, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to years of rushing. Or possibly it’s precisely what comes about if you lastly start to price time about length. In any case, additional tourists are discovering joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His name is now connected to a further, much more considerate technique for observing the entire world.
So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and also you’re considering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that virtually need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not much to carry out, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact can make a trip final more time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that experience extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught in a very dialogue with a person more mature, Allow it materialize. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a watch. Each individual look at has a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons acquire their time right here, and at some point, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. click here It feels extra like a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything in this article. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside of a latest piece on gradual vacation — how areas similar to this offer a different kind of luxury. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards people who recognize. You walk the loop then walk it all over again, seeing one thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this essentially hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation project — retaining the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new idea. But it’s 1 we’re last but not least able to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit still for some time. Allow Italy come to you.