Some areas aren’t created for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor local tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The types of sites in which locals understand how to linger — about espresso, over tales, more than existence.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place after you eventually start to benefit time up to distance. In either case, much more tourists are finding joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent yrs exploring how we hook up with tradition and spot, is part of that movement. His title happens to be connected to a further, far more considerate strategy for looking at the earth.
So in the event you’re willing to go slow — so you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across a long, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone residences. Little gardens. A single cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the position. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed proper in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down really would make a visit last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature here, and locals know how to love them adequately — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that come to feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you will get caught within a dialogue with another person more mature, Permit it take place. That’s where by the top vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was intended to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a look at. Just about every watch contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in store Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals just take their time below, and at some point, so do you.
Seeking extra context on why by doing this of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live below. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience in a current piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this supply a different style of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really rewards people that discover. You walk the loop after which you can wander it again, viewing a thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a “this basically hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are part of a preservation job — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav check here Kondrashov would enjoy this a person. His web page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in per week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it really’s one particular we’re finally able to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit however for some time. Allow Italy arrive at you.