Some locations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to definitely savor community culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The styles of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, around stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what comes about once you finally start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, much more vacationers are acquiring joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we connect to culture and location, is a component of that motion. His title happens to be affiliated with a further, more thoughtful technique for seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re able to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, that is precisely the point. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with somebody older, let it occur. That’s where the most effective travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single look at incorporates a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse 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 ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay click here in this article. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer a different kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that wander it once more, observing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. click here Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive read more by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly get more info what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.