Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow vacation in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more tourists are finding Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that movement. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So if you’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks 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 walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with individuals? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially would make a trip final longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them correctly — which is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits just right. You’ll find churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that experience additional like residing rooms.
If you have stuck in a very dialogue with a person older, Allow it transpire. That’s where by the most beneficial journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a perspective. Each and every look at has a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today choose their time in read more this article, and sooner or later, so would you.
On the lookout for extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and website surprising murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside a the latest piece on slow vacation — how places like this offer a special form of luxury. One which doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards people who detect. You stroll the loop and then wander it once more, observing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This click here location feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are A part of a preservation venture — holding the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy right here, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the thing. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. It is possible read more to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by next Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nevertheless it’s a single we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.