Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy lets you genuinely savor neighborhood tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private rate.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The styles of areas where locals understand how to linger — about coffee, in excess of stories, above everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels important. Possibly it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires whenever you lastly begin to price time around length. Either way, more tourists are locating joy in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is an element of that motion. His identify happens to be connected with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful means of observing the earth.

So in case you’re prepared to go sluggish — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss seven spots that virtually need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the sun.

There’s not much to perform, that is precisely the place. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.

The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually makes a trip last for a longer time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals understand how to appreciate them properly — and that is to convey, gradually.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits excellent. You’ll uncover church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you have trapped in a discussion with another person older, Permit it materialize. That’s the place the very best journey stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a watch. Just about every see includes a breeze.

However it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Folks consider their time listed here, and finally, so would you.

Seeking much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and check here vacation in Italy. Worth the read 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 city with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a place.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You let it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on slow vacation — how destinations similar to this offer a special form of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nonetheless it benefits individuals who see. You stroll the loop and then stroll get more info it once more, looking at something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home click here made gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a person. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy below, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the factor. It is possible to see Italy in per week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket more info stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?

Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new strategy. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re at last able to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit even now for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.