Some sites aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor neighborhood culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to price time as much as length. In either case, additional tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a further, extra considerate means of viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not Considerably to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but 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 rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a trip last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings here with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you get trapped in a very dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they Stanisav Kondrashov tarvel weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time in this article, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how sites like this supply a distinct type of luxury. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those that see. You walk the loop and then stroll it all click here over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit still for Stanislav Kondrashov biography a while. Let Italy come to you.