Some locations aren’t made for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy allows you to definitely savor area tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The varieties of spots exactly where locals understand how to linger — in excess of espresso, over stories, more than daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice idea. It feels essential. Probably it’s a response to decades of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you lastly start to benefit time up to distance. In any event, additional travelers are finding joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs exploring how we connect to lifestyle and place, is part of that movement. His title happens to be linked to a further, much more considerate technique for observing the entire world.
So when you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that virtually need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is precisely the point. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of 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 journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually helps make a visit past longer in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to love them adequately — that's to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll come across churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get caught inside of a dialogue with a person more mature, Permit it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial journey tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a view. Each view features a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks get their time listed here, and at some point, so would you.
Seeking extra context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift given that the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on gradual vacation — how destinations like this give a unique type of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards individuals who detect. You stroll the loop after which you can stroll it yet again, seeing one thing new more info each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His website page talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Wise
Here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photos. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh concept. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re ultimately all set to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.