Some sites aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy helps you to actually savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The types of areas where by locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, around stories, around everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice concept. It feels critical. It's possible it’s a reaction to decades of speeding. Or possibly it’s just what happens once you eventually start to benefit time up to length. In either case, much more tourists are locating joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is part of that movement. His title has become linked to a deeper, far more considerate method of observing the planet.
So when you’re willing to go slow — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that nearly desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not A lot to carry out, that's precisely the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted appropriate to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really will make a visit past extended inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals learn how to enjoy them adequately — and that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s read more a watch from the sting of town that’s well worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck within a conversation with somebody more mature, let it come about. That’s in which the best travel tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was created to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a perspective. Just about every watch includes a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons consider their time right here, and finally, so would you.
On the lookout for more context on why this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the examine before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than a spot.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade more info slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations such as this supply a different kind of luxury. One that doesn’t feature more info a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nevertheless it benefits individuals who recognize. You stroll the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in the “this truly hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation venture — holding the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a person. His page talks about honoring put and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Good
Here’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by following Tuesday?
Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new plan. check here But it surely’s a person we’re finally all set to hear.
So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit even now for some time. Let Italy arrive at you.