Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual speed.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or maybe it’s just what comes about once you at last begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting 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 movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful technique for observing the earth.

So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.

There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice 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 inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created appropriate in 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, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the 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 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 country. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly check here — and that is to say, slowly and gradually.

There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.

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

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.

Looking for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the go through prior to deciding to go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual desired destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual 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 unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a 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 focus, however it benefits those that see. You walk the loop after which you can stroll it all over again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You may hit the highlights. Snap photos. 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 thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.

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