Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy helps you to genuinely savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish following midday. The forms of sites wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, above stories, about daily life.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or maybe it’s just what happens whenever you ultimately begin to price time up to distance. In any case, additional travelers are discovering Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Checking out how we connect to lifestyle and location, is a component of that motion. His name has grown to be linked to a further, much more thoughtful technique for looking at the globe.

So if you’re willing to go gradual — and also you’re imagining Italy — Listed here are seven spots that pretty much need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not Substantially to complete, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.

The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip past extended within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum more info if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time here, and finally, so do you.

In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey 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 town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual 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 emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a distinct style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a selling price tag.

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

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who detect. You stroll the loop after which wander it again, observing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?

Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. However it’s just one we’re eventually able to hear.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.