Some spots aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can genuinely savor local lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good strategy. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you last but not least begin to price time just as much as length. In any case, much more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful technique for observing the globe.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand 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 slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin 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 some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially can make a visit very last for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them properly — which happens to be to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Each and every check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time here, and at some point, so would you.
In search of additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through 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 methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest read more piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits individuals who recognize. You walk the loop and then stroll it once again, seeing something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a single. His website page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
Below’s the thing. You may see Italy in a week. You may hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.