Some destinations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is full of them. Slow travel in Italy helps you to truly savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The forms of locations where by locals understand how to linger — around espresso, over stories, over lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place after you eventually begin to price time about length. Either way, more vacationers are locating Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years Checking out how we hook up with society and location, is part of that movement. His name has grown to be connected to a further, a lot more thoughtful technique for observing the earth.
So in the event you’re able to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 spots that pretty much need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Very small gardens. One cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of travel sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact makes a trip past lengthier as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals learn how to enjoy them effectively — which is to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s really worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel additional like living rooms.
If you have caught in a discussion with an individual more mature, Enable it take place. That’s the place the best travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was built to be “the proper city,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a check out. Each and every watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Looking for additional context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and vacation in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than a location.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a very the latest piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this present a different form of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely benefits those who discover. You wander the loop then stroll it again, looking at anything new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy check here reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Section of a preservation task — keeping the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s very little flashy right here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
Below’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in each week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new strategy. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re ultimately able to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.