Some places aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can certainly savor local culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The kinds of locations where by locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about stories, above existence.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels crucial. Maybe it’s a reaction to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually would make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
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 corner features a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks get their time right here, and sooner or later, so do you.
In search of far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live below. Writers go to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels far more like a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on sluggish travel — how sites similar to this present a distinct sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits click here inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several 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 website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the detail. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person 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.