Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to actually savor community society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The kinds of sites in which locals know how to linger — more than espresso, above tales, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to years of rushing. Or maybe it’s precisely what happens after you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, 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 motion. His title has grown to be linked to a deeper, a lot more considerate means of seeing the entire world.
So when you’re prepared to go slow — therefore you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Very small gardens. One cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not much to accomplish, and that is precisely the place. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed proper into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically tends to make a visit last for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — and that is to state, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
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. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
On the lookout for far more context on why this way 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 plan 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 live right here. Writers pay a read more visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how locations similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, observing a thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings 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 a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new idea. But it surely’s one particular we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.