Some areas aren’t made for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to actually savor neighborhood lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The sorts of sites where locals know how to linger — over coffee, more than stories, around existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a good notion. It feels essential. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what comes about if you lastly begin to benefit time approximately length. In any event, much more travelers are finding joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used a long time Checking out how we connect with culture and position, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, extra thoughtful way of seeing the world.
So for those who’re prepared to go sluggish — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that almost demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk throughout a protracted, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Considerably to complete, which is exactly the issue. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right into the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into your rocks.
The speed Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact will make a trip final for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them thoroughly — which is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll find churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel extra like residing rooms.
If you receive caught within a discussion with somebody older, Enable it take place. That’s in which the ideal journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was made to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a look at. Each and every see contains a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals get their time below, and ultimately, so do you.
Seeking much more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than a place.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a new piece on slow journey — how sites like this present a unique form of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely benefits those who recognize. You stroll the loop then wander it once again, seeing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few get more info consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — in the “this really hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His website page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Sensible
Below’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. But it really’s just one we’re eventually ready to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Enable Italy come to you.