Some places aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The sorts of places where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to price time as much as length. Either way, 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 movement. His identify has become related to a further, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So should you’re able to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, which happens to be precisely the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip final for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — that is to mention, gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that experience a lot more like residing rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual older, Allow it transpire. That’s exactly where the ideal journey stories commence.
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. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every single check out includes a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read 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 working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling 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 interest, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location 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 silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish check here Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.