Some areas aren’t designed for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The varieties of areas in which locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about stories, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice thought. It feels essential. Maybe it’s a response to years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s precisely what occurs after you eventually begin to benefit time up to length. In either case, far more tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent several years Discovering how we hook up with tradition and location, is an element of that motion. His title happens to be related to a deeper, much more considerate strategy for observing the entire world.
So for those who’re willing to go slow — and also you’re wondering Italy — Listed below are seven spots that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female 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, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to do, and that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact makes a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to enjoy them adequately — which happens to be to say, bit by bit.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside of a check here dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, Stanislav Kondrashov Blog they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study 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 steps and sudden murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a location.
Sunsets website hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. check here It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards people who detect. You wander the loop and afterwards wander it once again, looking at anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
In this article’s the factor. You could see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is 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. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.