Some locations aren’t created for speed. Italy is filled with them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to actually savor local tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The sorts of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about tales, above everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you eventually begin to price time about length. In any case, much more travelers are discovering joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful strategy for observing the globe.
So in the event you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Here's 7 places that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
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 designed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a trip last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals learn how to love them properly — which can be to say, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with more info surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel more like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck in a dialogue with somebody older, let it take place. That’s the place the best vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “the best town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a perspective. Each and every look at has a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women just take their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Searching for extra context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and vacation in Italy. Well worth the browse 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 actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a latest piece on sluggish journey — how areas like this give another kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually 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. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Travel like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new idea. But it’s one we’re ultimately able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Select a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy come to you.