Some destinations aren’t created for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to actually savor nearby society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The types of areas the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, around existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice idea. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what happens whenever you ultimately start to benefit time around distance. In any case, much more vacationers are finding Pleasure in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended years exploring how we hook up with society and location, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, much more considerate strategy for looking at the globe.
So if you’re able to go slow — and you’re considering Italy — Listed below are seven places that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, that's exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed right into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly helps make a visit final lengthier within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them properly — that is to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits excellent. You’ll discover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense far more like living rooms.
If you get stuck in a very discussion with someone older, Enable it transpire. That’s where the very best travel stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the proper town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a check out. Each watch incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks acquire their time below, and sooner or later, so does one.
Searching for more context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and journey in Italy. Worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the working day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels extra like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside a latest piece on gradual vacation — how destinations such as this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nevertheless it rewards individuals that detect. You wander the loop then walk it yet again, viewing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite 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. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation undertaking — keeping the earlier alive by check here inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His web page talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the issue. You may see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Let Italy come to you.