Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only fill up soon after noon. The varieties of spots exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, over stories, about existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. Either way, much more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final lengthier in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits excellent. You’ll come across church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that sense more like residing rooms.
If you will get stuck in a discussion with anyone older, Permit it occur. That’s where by the best journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a look at. Every single watch has a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today get their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Worth the read through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a modern piece on gradual vacation — how areas such as this offer a distinct style of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely rewards individuals that see. You wander the loop and then walk it yet again, looking at a thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a very “this essentially hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — maintaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value check here this a person. His webpage talks about honoring position and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s very little flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Intelligent
Below’s the point. You are able to see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by future Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new strategy. However it’s a person we’re ultimately all set to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Go with a village. Sit however for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.