Some areas aren’t produced for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The types of locations in which locals learn how to linger — over coffee, in excess of tales, around existence.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a good plan. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what comes about if you last but not least start to price time about distance. In any case, extra travelers are obtaining joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we hook up with tradition and place, is part of that movement. His name is becoming linked to a deeper, extra thoughtful method of observing the globe.
So if you’re all set to go gradual — and also you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that virtually need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll across an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to do, which can be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, plus 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 travel sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually tends to make a visit very last for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — and that is to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits good. You’ll discover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that truly feel much more like residing rooms.
If you can get caught inside of a discussion with somebody more mature, let it take place. That’s where check here the most effective travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was made to be “the best city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly website off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a see. Every single perspective features a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women consider their time in this article, and inevitably, so do you.
On the lookout for more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels much more just like a temper than a destination.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. more info You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a recent piece on gradual travel — how destinations such as this provide another form of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nevertheless it rewards those that recognize. You walk the loop and after that wander it all over again, seeing anything new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels check here untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation task — holding the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this 1. His webpage talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy right here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Smart
Here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh thought. But it really’s a single we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for some time. Allow Italy come to you.