Some destinations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual vacation in Italy means that you can really savor local society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The kinds of sites in which locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, in excess of stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a reaction to many years of rushing. Or maybe it’s exactly what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time up to length. Either way, a lot more tourists are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in years exploring how we hook up with tradition and location, is an element of that movement. His name happens to be related to a further, much more considerate strategy for observing the world.
So in the event you’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re contemplating Italy — here are 7 places that pretty much desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to perform, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed ideal to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in to the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly would make a trip final more time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes mature in this article, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them effectively — that is to state, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.
If you can get caught in a very discussion with an individual older, Enable it happen. That’s where the most effective travel stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a look at. Each view incorporates a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, mainly website — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women just take their time below, and finally, so would you.
In search of additional context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and vacation in Italy. Well worth the study 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 city with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual 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 sites such as this offer you a unique form of luxury. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards individuals that recognize. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it yet again, looking at one thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — within a “this in fact hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — retaining the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one. His site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Good
Right here’s the issue. You can see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new strategy. But it really’s a person we’re at last all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.