Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after midday. The types of sites wherever locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, about existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place when you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any event, extra tourists are finding joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His name is becoming connected with a deeper, a lot more considerate technique for observing the globe.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained 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. Little gardens. One cat stretching in the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the issue. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually makes a visit last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that truly feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you have caught in a very discussion with anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and more info on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks consider their time below, and at some point, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a new piece on sluggish journey — how destinations similar to this present another style of luxury. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely rewards those that discover. You wander the loop then walk it all over again, observing one thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “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. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new strategy. Nevertheless it’s a single we’re at last ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Allow Italy come to you.