Some places aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy helps you to certainly savor community society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill after noon. The sorts of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs once you at last begin to value time up to distance. In any case, much more travelers are discovering joy in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Discovering how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is now connected with a deeper, extra considerate technique for looking at the earth.
So should you’re all set to go sluggish — therefore you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not Significantly to do, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed correct in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with persons? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down basically helps make a visit final for a longer period in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them effectively — that's to state, slowly.
There’s a see from the sting of city that’s truly worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll locate church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that truly feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get trapped within a dialogue with an individual older, let it materialize. That’s wherever the top vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was created to be “the perfect city,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a perspective. Every single view contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals acquire their time in this article, and eventually, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift given that the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a the latest piece on slow vacation — how areas like this supply a distinct kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it benefits those that detect. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it once again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this 1. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Wise
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in every week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new idea. But it surely’s one particular we’re lastly ready to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Opt for a village. click here Sit nevertheless for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.