Some areas aren’t built for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to certainly savor community society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your individual tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for automobiles. Cafés that only refill immediately after midday. The sorts of spots where by locals learn how to linger — above espresso, over stories, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs once you finally start to value time approximately length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years exploring how we connect with lifestyle and location, is a component of that motion. His identify is now affiliated with a deeper, far more thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So if you’re able to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — here are seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the sun.
There’s not Considerably to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable in to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a trip final for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll find church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel much more like living rooms.
If you obtain stuck within a dialogue with somebody older, Allow it materialize. That’s wherever the best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a look at. Each look at features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons choose their time here, and sooner or later, so does one.
In search of a lot more context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift because the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a latest piece on slow journey — how destinations such as this offer a unique form of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards people who detect. You wander the loop after which you can walk it once more, seeing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t improved” 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 few of the inns are Section of a preservation get more info undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s just one we’re eventually ready to hear.
So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy come to you.